Phoenix College 6-foot-3 sophomore guard Mike Rogers has been regarded as a sure-fire athletic talent for many years - in the sport of basketball and football. A native of New York where he made a name for himself as one of the best to do it, Rogers has had to overcome many challenges and obstacles throughout his life to get to where he is today. Today he is in a great place, after achieving many of his goals on and off the basketball court, and now giving a big verbal commitment to a Division-I basketball program in the Horizon League.
On Sunday afternoon, Rogers and the Phoenix College men's basketball program announced that Rogers had given a commitment to Oakland University and Head Coach Greg Kampe and his men's basketball coaching staff.
Rogers had a dream to play Division-I basketball and he accomplished his goal, after two consecutive terrific seasons in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC), and also an academic performance that put himself into a position to reap the rewards of his hard work on and off the basketball court. The story regarding Mike Rogers is one to remember for sure, and I will never forget it, as this is a young man that I have personally been pulling for since I first met him many years ago. When I saw his commitment to a Division-I program, I personally wanted to stand up and shout - applauding the efforts of this young man, who once slept on a couch each night while attending Cesar Chavez High School. There is hungry and then there is Mike Rogers.
After a strong freshman campaign last season, Rogers returned as a sophomore and ranked second in the ACCAC in scoring, ranking only second to his own teammate Jamar Brown (22.8 ppg), a University of Missouri-Kansas City commit. Rogers averaged 19.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists, while shooting 46% from the field during his sophomore season.
Rogers had a lot of recruiting interest throughout his sophomore season, but many college programs missed out on the opportunity to land Rogers, simply because they struggled to figure him out as a player. I figured him out a long time ago, as he is as tough as they get with a lot of determination and self-confidence which has propelled him to higher heights through his life.
Congratulations to Rogers and his family on this amazing accomplishment, as well as the Phoenix College basketball program and Head Coach Duane Eason on his commitment to his players. Coach Eason placed his top two players in Division-I programs this spring, say no more.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: Rogers is a very good point guard prospect with a very strong body and size for the position. His body is really improved now after Rogers decided to trim himself down, which also proved serious personal commitment. A native of New York, Rogers is an explosive scorer with a nice ability to get his own shot and create for others. As a result, Rogers is difficult to defend one-on-one. He is a very good one-on-one player with the basketball in his hands, and does a great job of making plays off the dribble. He is a good shooter of the basketball also with nice range on his shot. He is a strong ball handler and passer and pushes the basketball up the floor. Also a very good one-on-one defender. As tough physically as they get. A solid and complete all-around guard prospect.