The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1043000
82 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2018-19 BY BRIAN RAPP T here were six of them in the fall of 2015, the largest class of in- coming freshmen in more then a decade and the biggest group of rookies in the brief tenure of Wes Moore (then beginning his third season) as the head of NC State's women's basketball program. Camille Anderson, Nae Nae Cole, Kaila Ealey, Lena Niang, Amber Richardson and a 6-1 forward from Charlotte named Ry- deiah Rogers formed that class of 2015 that produced a 16-member roster — and a lot of competition for playing time. Over the course of the next three years, Anderson, Niang and Richardson would all leave for various reasons. Cole — after spending her first three years as a bench reserve behind center Akela Maize, and facing further competition this fall from incoming freshmen Elissa Cunane and Jada Rice — became the fourth member of the class to look for more playing time else- where, transferring to Kentucky this past spring. That leaves Ealey, who will return for a third season as an integral part of NC State's backcourt as the starting point guard from a year ago, and Rogers — more familiarly known to Pack followers by her nickname "DD" — as the lone surviving holdovers from the class of 2015. Rogers is the lone senior that has been primarily a reserve player throughout her career in Raleigh. One might wonder why Rogers — with a basketball pedigree that includes a col- lege standout and former 10-year NBA player for a father (Wake Forest alum Rod- ney Rogers) and an older sister Roddreka, who started for Georgia Tech — would stick around for a fourth season of poten- tial backup duty in an era when an average of 400 players a year change schools in women's basketball. "I never thought about transferring," Rogers said during the Pack's opening week of practice in September. "I wanted to stick it out and see what happened. I just felt like there was more opportunity here for me to get more minutes. "I didn't want to give up — I wanted to try and earn those minutes." And even though there's no guarantee that she'll be able to raise her career aver- age of 11 minutes per game playing time this year — with returning junior Erika Cassell, plus Cunane, Rice and freshman forward Esra McGoldrick all in the mix for the two starting spots vacated by Maize and first-team All-ACC forward Chelsea Nelson — Rogers insists she'll make the most of whatever her on-court opportuni- ties may be. "I'd love to start," she admitted. "I think I've put in the work to start. But if I didn't, once I touched the court I'd definitely make sure I still contributed." "She has that team-first mentality," Moore observed. "She was behind Nel- son, a first-team All-ACC player, the past few years, and I know that must have been tough for her. "She's a great person, she's tried to men- tor the younger players and she now has an opportunity as a senior to hopefully have a special year." While basketball may have seemed a foregone conclusion in Rogers' life, con- sidering her family legacy, the middle child of Rodney and Tisa Rogers (younger brother Rodney Jr. is a freshman in high school) really didn't pick up the orange ball until a relatively late age. "I actually liked cheerleading the most when I was younger," Rogers recalled. "I liked a lot of different sports — I think my first organized sport was either soccer or softball. It wasn't until my sister [who is three years older than her] started playing that I figured I'd give it a try." Despite their future identical paths as college players, Rogers revealed that, oddly enough, she and Roddreka rarely competed against each other growing up. They played just one year together at Charlotte's Myers Park High School, when Roddreka was a senior and DD a freshman. They also played just one year against each other, during the 2015-16 season, when NC State beat Georgia Tech 65-57 on Jan. 7, 2016 (Roddreka tallied four points and eight rebounds in 33 minutes; DD played seven minutes without scoring or snaring a rebound, but did tally a blocked shot and two steals). Rogers, who was ranked as the 63rd best player in the country by ESPN's Hoop- Gurlz as a senior (the highest of the Pack's six-member class of 2015), was a double- digit scorer and rebounder for Myers Park's two-time state championship team. She was courted by most of the state's pro- grams, including her father's alma mater. Her final choices narrowed to NC State and North Carolina. "I don't know how to explain it, other than I just felt I belonged here," Rogers said of her decision. "I just couldn't see myself in Chapel Hill — I just felt this was my school. "And the coaches [Moore and former as- sistants Gene Hill and Nikki West] were a big influence. I talked to all of them during my recruiting, and they came across as gen- uinely caring about my well-being — like this is more than just a business to them." Despite being a distant third on the depth chart at the "four" position as a fresh- man behind returning senior starter Jenn Mathurin and Nelson, then a sophomore, Rogers still saw action in 30 games. She averaged 3.1 points and 3.2 boards in 10.9 minutes per game. She played 31 games as a sophomore, with two starts, maintaining her rebound- ing average (3.0) with a slight drop in her scoring (1.9). With the departure of four starters from that 2016-17 squad, Rogers became the primary sub off the bench for the Pack's frontcourt last season. Despite her minutes, points and rebounding averages remain- ing on par with her first two years (11.6 minutes, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 points), she still wound up playing in all but two of the Pack's 35 games last year (sitting out those two with a concussion). Highlighting her junior season — and what she admits is probably, to date, the "highlight" of her career thus far — was her last-minute contributions to NC State's 60-56 home win over Syracuse Jan. 14. With the Pack clinging to a two-point lead with 16 seconds left, Rogers buried two key free throws (an unlikely scenario, STICKING IT OUT Despite Limited Playing Time, Pack Senior DD Rogers Stayed While Classmates Left Rogers has seen action in 93 games with three starts over her first three seasons at NC State, and has averaged 2.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 11.0 minutes per contest. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS