Recruiting Report: Matt Rogers (2020)
2020 forward Matt Rogers has been enjoying the fruits of his labor this summer. After a season that called for battling through injuries with a very good St. Maria Goretti team, Rogers has been one of the rising seniors in…
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Continue Reading2020 forward Matt Rogers has been enjoying the fruits of his labor this summer. After a season that called for battling through injuries with a very good St. Maria Goretti team, Rogers has been one of the rising seniors in the area that has made some noise and has witnessed his recruitment pick up tremendously. The 6-foot-8 stretch four has picked up seven offers within the last month. Prior to the newly implemented June live period, Rogers had no offers.
“This past month has been crazy for me,” Rogers told Prep Hoops. “I’ve been working and grinding hard. The DMV Live event really helped me get more exposure. From that event alone, I picked up five offers. I picked up my last two offers from the two live periods in AAU, as I was able to keep up with some good performances.”
It’s no secret that the new recruiting calendar has caused quite the conversation in the high school and college basketball world. For Rogers, it was an adjustment that allowed him to fully showcase his skill set with his high school team.
“In AAU, you don’t really see that team bond and see players in their true roles,” Rogers continued, “it just allows you to see players playing for a team and not just for themselves.With AAU, you’re really just going out there for yourself. Even though you’re on a team, you’re still trying to go out there and pick up a lot of offers. I feel as though for college coaches, they like to see players and how they bond.”
Rogers obviously enjoyed his time playing in the June Live period. The only adjustment he wished for was to allow public schools to play along with the private schools. This is a wrinkle that with time, should be corrected as we continue to feel out this new recruiting calendar.
Rogers was invited to participate in the NCAA Basketball Academy this past week held at the University of Connecticut. During his time there, Rogers enjoyed the format and performed at a high enough level to earn yet another offer. The big criticism surrounding these academies was the lack of top-tier talent throughout the country. Fortunately for Rogers, it was a great opportunity for low and mid major prospects to be watched closely by college coaches.
“There was a lot of good low to mid major guys there, and that’s the level I see myself playing at, mid major,” Rogers said. “I got to go up against a lot of guys that I’ll probably see in college and I felt really comfortable. I felt like I stood out.”
This past high school season for Rogers had its ups and downs. The positives came with how good of a team St. Maria Goretti was. They advanced to the BCL Championship, but unfortunately lost on a buzzer-beating three against St. Frances. Despite the loss, they were invited to the highly-respected Alhambra Tournament and put on a good showing during their time.
Rogers dealt with a high ankle sprain that sidelined him a lot of the middle of their schedule. When he came back, he got back in his groove and found his niche once again.
“This season really helped me grow and realize that basketball isn’t forever,” Rogers reflected. “Injuries can happen to anyone. With that being said, I really focused on my academics during that time. Once I did get back on the floor, the seniors pushed me to get back to my old self and it felt like we got better as a team. We lost games last year when I was out that I think if I was playing, the outcomes would’ve been completely different. But all in all, I think this season really prepared me for college because I was able to learn more about the game and in the classroom.”
As for the upcoming season, the Gaels take on almost a completely new look. With five key seniors graduating and one rising sophomore deciding to transfer, there will be plenty of production put on the shoulders of Rogers. He doesn’t seem to be worried much. Goretti had a solid showing against other top teams in the DMV during the June live period that would help support Rogers’ optimism.
“The expectations for us as a team hasn’t changed,” Rogers continued, “we’re trying to get back to that BCL Championship game. I feel as though the league isn’t as strong as it was last year. We can compete with anyone. For me, I just have to step up and be a leader for these young guys. We’re going to have a lot of sophomores and juniors on the team that played junior varsity. I just have to teach them about the varsity level and how it’s 10x harder than JV.”
It’s only been a month, so the programs that have offered Rogers are still establishing relationships with him. Boston, Fairfield, UMass-Lowell, Binghamton, Air Force, Navy and Canisius are all in the mix. Rogers claims that all of these schools are showing strong interest. He plans to schedule official visit in the near future and ideally would like to commit sometime in the beginning of September.
“The schools that have offered me have all said they love how I constantly communicate on the floor,” Rogers said. “They like my competitiveness and the fact that I play hard all of the time. They also like the versatility I bring and how I can play the four or the five.”
To view Rogers’ junior season highlights on Hudl, click here.
Rogers is ranked as a top-40 prospect in our class of 2020 player rankings. To view the full list of the rankings, click here!