PART OF THE FAMILY
10/8/2021 9:01:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Back for Parade, Rogers Felt Like He ‘Played in Championship Game’
(This is the 11th part in a series profiling the 2020 and 2021 inductees for the Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame and Wall of Honor. The features will be posted at baylorbears.com in the weeks leading up to the Oct. 29 induction ceremony. Also, listen for Hall of Fame interviews with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris on ESPN Central Texas each Thursday afternoon from 2-3 p.m.)
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Returning to Waco back in April to be a part of the downtown parade honoring Baylor basketball's 2021 national championship team, Kevin Rogers said he "felt like I actually played in the championship game. It was a great feeling."
Now 12 years removed from his collegiate playing days, Rogers was one of Scott Drew's first recruits and part of "The Foundation" that's credited for helping get the program started on the road that eventually led to this year's national championship.
"That's the thing about Coach Drew. That's what drew me to the school. He's a family-oriented guy," said the 34-year-old Rogers. "If you had anything to do with the program, from the time he got there up until the national championship, he made sure he included everybody. That's just the family atmosphere that he's created."
Along with former teammates Aaron Bruce, Mamadou Diene, Henry Dugat and Curtis Jerrells, Rogers will be inducted in the Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame and recognized along with the 2020 class at the Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony Oct. 29 at the Waco Convention Center.
"Being around so many legendary people, being able to see my brothers again, that will definitely be a special part of that night," Rogers said. "We built a brotherhood that will never die."
In addition to being one of the foundational pieces of the Baylor program, the 6-foot-8 Rogers helped powerhouse South Oak Cliff win the first of four-consecutive 4A state championships in 2005, scoring 16 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a 64-43 rout of San Antonio Sam Houston in the final.
"Just to be a part of starting something at SOC that happened to lead into the success we had at Baylor, it all started there," said Rogers, who was Drew's first blue-chip signee as a top-50 national recruit. "Coach James Mays instilled in me a lot of what I took to school. Without him, I would have never had any type of success outside of the South Oak Cliff walls."
On a SOC team that included Kansas signee Darrell Arthur, who played 10 years in the NBA, Rogers averaged 15.5 points, eight rebounds and three blocks per game and earned all-state honors as a senior.
With coast-to-coast offers, Rogers signed with a Baylor team coming off a 10-21 finish in Drew's first season.
"What really sold me on (Baylor) was Coach Drew," Rogers said. "Coach Drew and his staff, they make you feel as though you're at home. And Coach Drew is the guy that instilled in us the thought of leaving a legacy and building a program from the ground up. Without him giving us that vision, I don't think it happens."
When Rogers committed to Baylor, an elated Drew screamed into the phone, waking up his then-baby daughter, Mackenzie.
"I definitely remember that day," Rogers said. "I was the program's first big recruit. Coach Drew screaming into the phone just solidified that I had made the right choice. That feeling of being wanted definitely gave me more incentive to come down and put in the work to get us where we wanted to go."
Three years after Rogers' arrival, the Bears won 21 games and made their first NCAA Tournament appearance. The next year, they went 24-15, losing to Missouri in the Big 12 Championship final and then Penn State in the NIT final in New York.
"We jumped out of the gates my senior year really well," said Rogers, who averaged 12.6 points and 7.6 rebounds as a senior that year. "We just had a stretch where we lost a lot of winnable games. For us to persevere and continue to push through when a lot of people had written us off, that was a great feeling. But, if there was one year I wish I could get back, it's definitely my senior year."
Starting 101-consecutive games over his last three seasons, Rogers still ranks ninth in scoring (1,371) and fourth in rebounds (865) on Baylor's career lists.
In a 12-year pro career, the well-traveled Rogers has made stops in Erie, Pa., Maiquetia, Vargas, Venezuela, San Germån, Puerto Rico, Manizales, Colombia, Guasave and Navolato, Mexico, Bordeaux, France, Al-Nasr, Saudi Arabia, Montevideo, Uruguay, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada and Manama, Bahrain.
"I've loved it," he said. "The overseas experience is nothing you can describe. It builds a lot of character in you, it tells you who you are as a person, because it's such a culture shock being in a different country and you're pretty much the only person speaking primarily English. But, I wouldn't trade that experience for anything."
His favorite place to play was Bordeaux, "a beautiful place" where they are "extremely passionate about their basketball." Rogers added that playing in Saudi Arabia "is an amazing experience. They really love basketball in the Middle East."
Considering hanging it up, Rogers has a job offer to return to South Oak Cliff as a coach and also "pour into" his 11-year-old son, King Rogers.
"He's a great kid, I enjoy being his dad," Kevin said. "He makes everything easy for me. Of course, he's into basketball, but he's a great student, always high honor roll. We definitely preach books first and then basketball. But, he's the ultimate student-athlete. He gets into the gym and gets after it. He's going to be a special talent."
Asked if King, who's projected to be a 7-footer, is on Drew's radar, Kevin said, "I'm pretty sure he is."
This year's Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, in the Brazos Room at the Waco Convention Center and will honor the 2020 and 2021 classes.
Banquet tickets cost $50 per person, with table sponsorships also available for $600 (green) and $800 (gold), and can be purchased by contacting the "B" Association at 254-710-3045 or by email at Tammy_Hardin@baylor.edu.
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Returning to Waco back in April to be a part of the downtown parade honoring Baylor basketball's 2021 national championship team, Kevin Rogers said he "felt like I actually played in the championship game. It was a great feeling."
Now 12 years removed from his collegiate playing days, Rogers was one of Scott Drew's first recruits and part of "The Foundation" that's credited for helping get the program started on the road that eventually led to this year's national championship.
"That's the thing about Coach Drew. That's what drew me to the school. He's a family-oriented guy," said the 34-year-old Rogers. "If you had anything to do with the program, from the time he got there up until the national championship, he made sure he included everybody. That's just the family atmosphere that he's created."
Along with former teammates Aaron Bruce, Mamadou Diene, Henry Dugat and Curtis Jerrells, Rogers will be inducted in the Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame and recognized along with the 2020 class at the Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony Oct. 29 at the Waco Convention Center.
"Being around so many legendary people, being able to see my brothers again, that will definitely be a special part of that night," Rogers said. "We built a brotherhood that will never die."
In addition to being one of the foundational pieces of the Baylor program, the 6-foot-8 Rogers helped powerhouse South Oak Cliff win the first of four-consecutive 4A state championships in 2005, scoring 16 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a 64-43 rout of San Antonio Sam Houston in the final.
"Just to be a part of starting something at SOC that happened to lead into the success we had at Baylor, it all started there," said Rogers, who was Drew's first blue-chip signee as a top-50 national recruit. "Coach James Mays instilled in me a lot of what I took to school. Without him, I would have never had any type of success outside of the South Oak Cliff walls."
On a SOC team that included Kansas signee Darrell Arthur, who played 10 years in the NBA, Rogers averaged 15.5 points, eight rebounds and three blocks per game and earned all-state honors as a senior.
With coast-to-coast offers, Rogers signed with a Baylor team coming off a 10-21 finish in Drew's first season.
"What really sold me on (Baylor) was Coach Drew," Rogers said. "Coach Drew and his staff, they make you feel as though you're at home. And Coach Drew is the guy that instilled in us the thought of leaving a legacy and building a program from the ground up. Without him giving us that vision, I don't think it happens."
When Rogers committed to Baylor, an elated Drew screamed into the phone, waking up his then-baby daughter, Mackenzie.
"I definitely remember that day," Rogers said. "I was the program's first big recruit. Coach Drew screaming into the phone just solidified that I had made the right choice. That feeling of being wanted definitely gave me more incentive to come down and put in the work to get us where we wanted to go."
Three years after Rogers' arrival, the Bears won 21 games and made their first NCAA Tournament appearance. The next year, they went 24-15, losing to Missouri in the Big 12 Championship final and then Penn State in the NIT final in New York.
"We jumped out of the gates my senior year really well," said Rogers, who averaged 12.6 points and 7.6 rebounds as a senior that year. "We just had a stretch where we lost a lot of winnable games. For us to persevere and continue to push through when a lot of people had written us off, that was a great feeling. But, if there was one year I wish I could get back, it's definitely my senior year."
Starting 101-consecutive games over his last three seasons, Rogers still ranks ninth in scoring (1,371) and fourth in rebounds (865) on Baylor's career lists.
In a 12-year pro career, the well-traveled Rogers has made stops in Erie, Pa., Maiquetia, Vargas, Venezuela, San Germån, Puerto Rico, Manizales, Colombia, Guasave and Navolato, Mexico, Bordeaux, France, Al-Nasr, Saudi Arabia, Montevideo, Uruguay, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada and Manama, Bahrain.
"I've loved it," he said. "The overseas experience is nothing you can describe. It builds a lot of character in you, it tells you who you are as a person, because it's such a culture shock being in a different country and you're pretty much the only person speaking primarily English. But, I wouldn't trade that experience for anything."
His favorite place to play was Bordeaux, "a beautiful place" where they are "extremely passionate about their basketball." Rogers added that playing in Saudi Arabia "is an amazing experience. They really love basketball in the Middle East."
Considering hanging it up, Rogers has a job offer to return to South Oak Cliff as a coach and also "pour into" his 11-year-old son, King Rogers.
"He's a great kid, I enjoy being his dad," Kevin said. "He makes everything easy for me. Of course, he's into basketball, but he's a great student, always high honor roll. We definitely preach books first and then basketball. But, he's the ultimate student-athlete. He gets into the gym and gets after it. He's going to be a special talent."
Asked if King, who's projected to be a 7-footer, is on Drew's radar, Kevin said, "I'm pretty sure he is."
This year's Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, in the Brazos Room at the Waco Convention Center and will honor the 2020 and 2021 classes.
Banquet tickets cost $50 per person, with table sponsorships also available for $600 (green) and $800 (gold), and can be purchased by contacting the "B" Association at 254-710-3045 or by email at Tammy_Hardin@baylor.edu.
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