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Basketball kept VU freshman Mike Rogers off the rough streets of Kingston, Jamaica
VALPARAISO | Ask Mike Rogers and he'll tell you about his home. Even the parts he's not particularly proud of.
The gangs that stalked every street corner.
The adolescent friends who drank and smoked whatever they could get their hands on.
The crime-stricken neighborhood Rogers grew up in -- an area of Kingston, Jamaica, so unsafe, Rogers' mom insisted he stay with his former high school basketball coach when he came back to visit in November 2006.
"There's always some kind of gang war going on," said Rogers, Valparaiso University's 6-foot-6, 205-pound freshman guard. "It's always dangerous."
Surely there were opportunities for Rogers to be swept up in it all: the gangs, the drugs, the drinking. Surely, there were chances to follow the self-destructive path of some of his friends.
But Rogers was spared by basketball.
"It was kind of a way out," Rogers said of the sport that would eventually bring him to the United States.
On the tiny Caribbean island that prefers soccer to basketball, kids building their own hoops can't be a common sight. But at a young age, Rogers watched his older brothers stick a steal beam into a concrete-filled tire, mold the metal into a rim and tie the hoop to their house to keep it from swaying.
"We had a lot of fun days out there," said Rogers, the youngest of eight.
The hoop in front of his house did more than keep Rogers out of harm's way. A soccer player before he started playing organized basketball at 14, Rogers relied on ruthless games of one-on-one with his bigger, stronger brothers to learn the game.
"I got better playing against them," Rogers said. "I was playing with grown men at home and then going back to school and playing with kids my age."
As good as Rogers was getting -- before long he was beating his brothers -- he knew colleges coaches would never see him if he stayed in Jamaica. And as talented as some of his competition was, Rogers knew it would be tough to improve his all-around game in a country that didn't stress defense like it did offense.
So at 16, Rogers left his home and family for a prep school in upstate New York.
"It was tough, but it was for the better," Rogers said.
Rogers was a standout his first two seasons at Redemption Christian. But the small private school didn't have enough players to field a team his senior season, and Rogers lost a year to develop and an opportunity to be seen by recruiters. VU discovered him at an AAU tournament last summer, and Rogers signed in August, months after the spring signing period had passed.
Signing so late wasn't ideal, especially for someone lacking the experience of most of his college players. Rogers' late arrival and still-raw talent, combined with VU's backcourt depth, have made his freshman season one of transition.
"I have a lot to learn, a lot to catch up on," said Rogers, who's averaging 6.5 minutes and 1.5 points per game.
More than anything, Rogers has been working on the aspect of his game most neglected in his native country: defense. But other fundamentals -- dribbling, passing, shooting -- have also been honed.
"He's a quick learner," coach Homer Drew said. "He's really working hard on his footwork on defense. Offensively, he's probably our most athletic player. He can really get up. He dunks well. He can do some electrifying things.
"He's been getting more minutes. He and (freshman) Howard (Little) both we've been trying to work in more in the first half, and both have responded well."
Said senior Jarryd Loyd: "He's playing his role."
For now, Rogers can live with his limited duties.
"I just come in and do what I'm asked," Rogers said. "Whatever time I get, I try to make the best of it."
No matter where Rogers goes from here, this much is certain: He's already made the best of his humble roots.
Basketball kept VU freshman Mike Rogers off the rough streets of Kingston, Jamaica
VALPARAISO | Ask Mike Rogers and he'll tell you about his home. Even the parts he's not particularly proud of.
The gangs that stalked every street corner.
The adolescent friends who drank and smoked whatever they could get their hands on.
The crime-stricken neighborhood Rogers grew up in -- an area of Kingston, Jamaica, so unsafe, Rogers' mom insisted he stay with his former high school basketball coach when he came back to visit in November 2006.
"There's always some kind of gang war going on," said Rogers, Valparaiso University's 6-foot-6, 205-pound freshman guard. "It's always dangerous."
Surely there were opportunities for Rogers to be swept up in it all: the gangs, the drugs, the drinking. Surely, there were chances to follow the self-destructive path of some of his friends.
But Rogers was spared by basketball.
"It was kind of a way out," Rogers said of the sport that would eventually bring him to the United States.
On the tiny Caribbean island that prefers soccer to basketball, kids building their own hoops can't be a common sight. But at a young age, Rogers watched his older brothers stick a steal beam into a concrete-filled tire, mold the metal into a rim and tie the hoop to their house to keep it from swaying.
"We had a lot of fun days out there," said Rogers, the youngest of eight.
The hoop in front of his house did more than keep Rogers out of harm's way. A soccer player before he started playing organized basketball at 14, Rogers relied on ruthless games of one-on-one with his bigger, stronger brothers to learn the game.
"I got better playing against them," Rogers said. "I was playing with grown men at home and then going back to school and playing with kids my age."
As good as Rogers was getting -- before long he was beating his brothers -- he knew colleges coaches would never see him if he stayed in Jamaica. And as talented as some of his competition was, Rogers knew it would be tough to improve his all-around game in a country that didn't stress defense like it did offense.
So at 16, Rogers left his home and family for a prep school in upstate New York.
"It was tough, but it was for the better," Rogers said.
Rogers was a standout his first two seasons at Redemption Christian. But the small private school didn't have enough players to field a team his senior season, and Rogers lost a year to develop and an opportunity to be seen by recruiters. VU discovered him at an AAU tournament last summer, and Rogers signed in August, months after the spring signing period had passed.
Signing so late wasn't ideal, especially for someone lacking the experience of most of his college players. Rogers' late arrival and still-raw talent, combined with VU's backcourt depth, have made his freshman season one of transition.
"I have a lot to learn, a lot to catch up on," said Rogers, who's averaging 6.5 minutes and 1.5 points per game.
More than anything, Rogers has been working on the aspect of his game most neglected in his native country: defense. But other fundamentals -- dribbling, passing, shooting -- have also been honed.
"He's a quick learner," coach Homer Drew said. "He's really working hard on his footwork on defense. Offensively, he's probably our most athletic player. He can really get up. He dunks well. He can do some electrifying things.
"He's been getting more minutes. He and (freshman) Howard (Little) both we've been trying to work in more in the first half, and both have responded well."
Said senior Jarryd Loyd: "He's playing his role."
For now, Rogers can live with his limited duties.
"I just come in and do what I'm asked," Rogers said. "Whatever time I get, I try to make the best of it."
No matter where Rogers goes from here, this much is certain: He's already made the best of his humble roots.