Joshua Jennings: The Rock of the Rocket League Team
By Fern
You can tell a lot about a man by looking at the sandwich he eats. Take Joshua Jennings, for example. A former basketball player turned Rocket League player, Josh Jennings is a dedicated and hardworking man, and his sandwich needs reflect that. “A cold sub sandwich with lots of meat, some good cheese, tomatoes, and red wine vinegar,” he said. “No hot subs here.” It’s a simple sandwich, perfect for the man who simply needs fuel to burn in his quest for greatness.
Alright, let’s be honest. The type of sandwich someone likes doesn’t really tell you much about them, but that does sound like a pretty good sandwich. Who is this man who has such good sandwich taste?
Josh Jennings is a senior here at Southern Virginia University, majoring in business and minoring in economics. He hails from Park City, UT, and originally came Southern Virginia to play basketball. “I was recruited to play basketball here by Coach Winslow,” he recalls. He came to Southern Virginia right after his mission in answer to that invitation.
While part of the basketball team, he picked up a new hobby: Rocket League. One of his basketball teammates at the time introduced him to it, and he started playing the game casually. He didn’t realize it at the time, but this quirky esports game of soccer with cars would drastically change his college experience.
Now, just a couple years after first picking up Rocket League, Jennings has left the basketball team and is now in the starting lineup for the Southern Virginia University Rocket League team. He plays alongside Brady “The Hitman” Peek (’22) and Conner “Condog2828” Christoffersen (‘22). How did Jennings get his spot on the team? Sheer dedication.
“I’m obviously not the best player on the team, but my dedication has given me my spot, and I think my teammates would recognize that,” Jennings says.
Kevin Lamb, former Rocket League head coach (and current League of Legends head coach), agrees with Jennings’ self assessment. “He practices a lot, he is a passionate and hardworking guy. He definitely put in a lot of work last year, and now he has the opportunity to prove himself in competitions this year.”
Peek, one of Jennings’ teammates and a member of last year’s Rocket League National Champion team, was also impressed by Jennings’ work ethic. “He’s putting in more work than I am right now. After hearing how far he’s come so quickly, and seeing how much work he puts in behind the scenes, I can tell he really does want to get better and that he wants to compete at a high level.”
The Rocket League team plays every Monday at 7 p.m., and the games are streamed online at here. Whether you’re a Southern Virginia fan, a Jennings fan, or just want to see people playing soccer with cars, come check out their games sometime.
