Prospect Spotlight: Jeremy Roach (2020)
In the past five years, Paul VI has seemed to grab an elite point guard every couple of years, and have had a lot of success with them playing early. First there was Franklin Howard, now a sophomore at Syracuse,…
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Continue ReadingIn the past five years, Paul VI has seemed to grab an elite point guard every couple of years, and have had a lot of success with them playing early. First there was Franklin Howard, now a sophomore at Syracuse, who gave way to Pittsburgh commit and senior star Aaron Thompson, and last year Anthony Harris stepped up big time when Thompson went down and led them to a state championship where they lost a heartbreaker to Episcopal.
This year, it’s freshman Jeremy Roach, and many people are saying he may be the best of the bunch when it’s all said and done. Roach spent all summer destroying the best competition in AAU for Team Takeover and earned invites to many camps including CP3 where he won MVP and an invite to the USA Mini Camp in Colorado Springs.
To have that much success landing point guards in such a competitive conference as the WCAC, it leaves an impact on talented young players in the DMV who have to essentially commit to a school out of middle school to play in the best conference in the area. Many would want to go to a school who desperately needed a point guard and could play immediately, but Roach has the mindset of a competitor and doesn’t mind competing against the best.
“Before the season I knew that practice was going to be intense going against those guys everyday, and I had to go just all out and just play, and I eventually worked my way into the starting lineup,” Roach said.
In their huge win against last year’s WCAC champs Gonzaga on Monday, Roach finished with eight points and six rebounds, but did a lot down the stretch for them that didn’t show up in the stat book such as controlling the tempo and winning 50-50 balls. Afterwards, he spoke of the big win not like a freshman, but more like an NBA veteran.
“It’s great motivation, we now know that we can play with the best and whoever,” Roach said. “Coach knew that this was probably the best team on our schedule, we’ve been preparing for them all week and we came out with a big W.”
Also like a true veteran, Roach didn’t dwell on a big win, he turned around and got prepared for another big WCAC and Fairfax County rival in Bishop O’Connell, where he led the team with 16 points in a come from behind victory on the road. The 6’0” point guard’s biggest strength may be his toughness, both mental and physical, and it’s evident in the way he describes his game to others.
“Just play hard, play on the defensive end, hit the offensive glass and defensive glass, just fight and keep that energy throughout the game.”
A young talent in the DMV never stays a secret, and Roach is already seeing interest from a number of high major programs. He holds an offer from UVA, and mentioned Maryland and West Virginia as schools that have shown the most interest so far.
While he’s already a well rounded and tough point guard, Roach knows he has to continue to get better as a leader, even if that means being the loudest.
“I definitely need to be more vocal on the court, if they can hear my voice and know that I have everything under control, I know I can take my team to victory.”
While many kids are hyped at a young age, Roach just seems to have that “it” factor that have made so many previous area guards, including his teammates Thompson and Harris, so successful at both the high school and collegiate level. He’s gritty, athletic, skilled and fearless, and he wants to be the best basketball player he can possibly be.
If he remains as hungry as he is now, you can expect him to be a household name sooner rather than later.