On the court, Indian Land’s Darnell Rogers stands tall

Old-school basketball fans may remember Shawnta Rogers as an undersized but highly-productive star at George Washington University in the mid-to-late-1990s, but his name has a totally different player behind it at Indian Land High School these days.

The elder Rogers was named the Atlantic-10 Player of the Year following his 1998-99 senior season, where he averaged more than 20 points per game, and was later enshrined in the school’s athletic Hall of Fame. After college, the 5-foot-4 point guard was a two-time all star during a productive 12-year professional career that was spent mostly overseas.

The younger Shawnta Rogers, who goes by “Darnell,” is listed as a 5-foot-7 junior guard, but he is not quite that tall. What he lacks in stature, though, he more than makes up for in his game, which combines his father’s ability to score with his own flair for the game.

“Since I was four, I’ve been around basketball,” Darnell Rogers said.

“My dad taught me how to play the game, but he mostly taught me how to play it at my height. Because I’m smaller than most everybody else, I have to play the game smartly, and that’s what he’s taught me the most.

“I feel like I have an advantage at the offensive and defensive end because nobody can stay in front of me. The only time it gets difficult is when we switch (defensive rotations) and a big man is posting me. If it’s a guard posting me, I can resist it because I’m strong, but that’s the only advantage they have on me.”

Rogers certainly has the advantage with the ball in his hands. Rogers’ deft moves and nifty passes have made him a YouTube sensation, but it’s his ability to put the ball in the basket that has college coaches courting his services and closely following a career that is already becoming something of legend.

He began playing varsity as a seventh-grader alongside his older brother, Terrell, a 5-foot-9 guard who led Indian Land to the state semifinals as a junior before transferring to Evelyn Mack Academy in Charlotte. Terrell Rogers scored a school-record 56 points in a game during his junior year. He went on to play at the University of Delaware before transferring to College of Central Florida, where he currently leads his team in scoring, assists and steals.

Aside from playing with his brother, it was the taste of getting so close to a state title that most stuck with Darnell Rogers. Last year, the then-sophomore averaged 26.5 points per game for a team that went 20-5 and again advanced to the state semifinals before falling, 80-66, to Newberry.

“I feel like we played really hard until the last game of the season,” said Rogers, who scored 25 points in the game but was disappointed with the loss.

“I think the team didn’t take them as seriously as we should have, but I don’t think anyone took that last game as hard as I did.”

Rogers returned this season more determined than ever. He spent his summer starring for the CP3 AAU team, where he picked up offers from George Washington and South Carolina and said he also has garnered recruiting interest from Georgia, Southern Florida, Duke and others.

His summer went well, as Rogers got to showcase his skills to some of the nation’s top coaches. But he said he came back this year even more determined to lead the Warriors to their elusive state title, despite losing three key seniors from last year’s team.

“It was kind of hard to start the year because the seniors we had last year were good, but they were really tough, too,” he said.

“We have to get this team to play a little harder and tougher, but they’re picking it up now. It’s getting a lot better.”

The Warriors began the year with just three wins in their first six games, but have since reeled off four consecutive victories. As usual, Rogers has been at the forefront of the team’s success, averaging 31.2 points, 6.7 assists and five steals while scoring at least 20 points every game this year.

While his scoring numbers are impressive, Rogers knows to get his team back in contention for a state title, he’ll need a little help from his friends.

“I think passing is my best attribute,” he said. “People think that I’m a score-first point guard, but I actually pass better than I score. I like to get my teammates involved, and I know it takes some of the pressure off of me.”

Rogers has been sharing the scoring load with juniors Mark Morton (13.2 points per game) and Quanta Taylor (7.1 points, 8.6 rebounds), and seniors Brandon Barnes (6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds) and Mike Webb (5.4 points).

“We have started to play much better defense, and that’s good,” Rogers said.

“We need to keep playing together as a team and keep playing good defense. That’s all we really need to be successful because we already have a really good offense.”

And with the defense coming around and the scoring help needed to make another run at a title, Rogers is ready to see how well the season pans out.

“I have to shoot better; I have to play better defense; and I have to get my team more involved every time I step on the court this year,” Rogers said.

“Last year, I was able to get a break and come out of games for a minute. But this year I play the whole game, so there is a lot more responsibility on me. But I like it and am ready for it.”

The junior guard believes he knows what has to be done for the Warriors to reach the next level.

“I know for us to win states, I’m going to have to come up big. I have to stay focused, play hard every game and just keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

This story was originally published January 16, 2015 at 10:01 AM.