A former stand-out basketball player is arrested on sexual battery charges.
According to Lowndes County Jail records, 32-year-old Rodricko Ware, of 607 Hancock St. in Starkville, who was known as “CoCo” when he played basketball in college, turned himself into to sheriff’s deputies Thursday morning.
That was two days after he is accused of sexually assaulting an acquaintance in Artesia. The woman was treated and released from Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle.
Detectives still are investigating the case and whether Ware has been involved in other incidents.
Ware graduated from Starkville High and signed with East Mississippi Community College. He was a star there for two years, ending his career with 1,196 points — 19.3 points per game. Although he was only about six feet tall, he average 6.2 rebounds per game and also was known for his defense with 2.7 steals per game.
He was named a junior college All-American his sophomore year at EMCC and led the team to the National Junior College tournament. He was recruited by Iowa and some other schools before signing in June 2010 with Mississippi Valley State.
