The NBA Finals have not even begun but it is already time for most of the league to start preparing for next season. The lottery will be held on May 12th, the final deadline for early entry withdrawal is June 15th, and the draft will begin on June 25th. We will spend the months ahead interviewing as many members of this year’s draft class as possible. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage by chatting with American F Matt Rogers about winning his conference tourney and what it would mean to him to get drafted.
You were born/raised in Maryland: what made you choose American for college? The fact that it was close to my parents/grandparents (which meant they could attend my homes games) was the biggest thing. I also wanted to be in a big city rather than in a rural town up north so the location helped.
Your team only played 10 games during your freshman year due to COVID: was that season as weird as it sounds? Yes: it was a weird time. We played Loyola MD 3 times and Navy 4 times in a span of about 5 weeks: everybody knew each other pretty well by the end of that stretch! The hardest part was the uncertainty: we had 3-4 COVID outbreaks during that year and ended up playing the fewest games of anyone in D-1.
Last December you scored a career-high 33 PTS/15-20 FG/10 REB in a 3-PT 2-OT loss to UMBC: where does that rank among the best all-around games of your career? It is probably in the top-5: I do not rank it as high since it was not a conference game. However, I did not have a lot of double-doubles during my career so that part made it a cool game.
You only made 2-24 3PM during your 1st 2 years but during the past 3 years you have made a combined 39 3P%: how were you able to make such a huge improvement since your junior year? Just getting into the gym throughout the year and sticking with my routine. I had to build my confidence back up and my coaches helped me out a lot with my consistent work.
You were also named to the all-conference team each of the past 3 years: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It was a great recognition for all the hard work I have put in throughout the years. I also give the recognition to my family/girlfriend/coaches because all of them put their love into me.
Take me through the 2025 postseason:
In the conference tourney title game you scored 25 PTS/10-17 FG in a win over Navy en route to being named conference tourney MVP: what did it mean to you to win a title? It meant everything to me. The community deserved it because they have poured a lot of energy into our team during the past 5 years, so it was also great to win it for them.
In the 1st 4 you scored 7 PTS in 8 minutes but missed the rest of the game with a right knee injury in a loss to Mt. St. Mary’s: how bad was the injury, and how is your rehab going? It was an ACL tear, but thankfully there was no damage to any other part of my knee. I had surgery last month and rehab is going great. I am fully walking and will finally get some cardio in by getting into the pool.
Your mother Kristi played volleyball at Illinois State and your father David played college basketball: who is the best athlete in the family? It is definitely me! Mom is #2 and dad is #3…although he would kill me for saying that. When I was growing up we definitely got some good runs in.
Speaking of your father, I read a rumor that he said you turned down “life-changing money” to stay at American last season: is that true, and do you have any regrets? There are always rumors going around, but I do not have any regrets about staying at AU. I am big on school and was able to get my master’s degree last year, which was great. I understood that our goal was to win a Patriot League title, and I got to live out my dream by going to March Madness.
What would it mean to you to get drafted, and what is the plan if you do not get drafted? It has always been a dream of mine to play pro basketball since I was a kid. If I do not get drafted, I know there are other options and I can work my way up from there.
