Wildcats' Rogers finds volleyball a perfect fit

Growing up in basketball-crazed Indiana, James Rogers always hoped he'd spend his high school years soaring above the hardwood.

As it turns out, he'd get his wish, although not exactly the way he'd planned.

Now a senior at Las Vegas High, Rogers does indeed spend his nights playing ball in his school's gymnasium.

But these days, he does it as the top player on the Wildcats' boys volleyball team, a squad which is making a name for itself as one of the state's best.

Through Wednesday, Las Vegas owned a 14-2 overall record and sat atop the Sunrise Division standings with a week remaining in the regular season, losing just once in league play.

Rogers' play has been a critical ingredient in that success, as he is the team's acknowledged go-to player. He holds most of the school's records in the sport, including kills in a match (20), kills in a season (216) and aces in a season (47).

And to think it almost never happened.

As a freshman, Rogers tried out for the Wildcats' freshman hoops team but got cut. After a life spent playing basketball with his father in the Hoosier state, Rogers suddenly found himself looking for a new sport.

He soon settled on volleyball and joined the freshman squad in the spring. Although his coaches are glad he did, his father back in Indiana was a little skeptical initially.

"When I told my dad I was playing volleyball he said, 'What's that?,' " Rogers said.

What volleyball has been to Rogers is a sport he can dominate despite his 5-11, 150-pound frame. In four short years, the hard-working 18-year-old has become a very dangerous weapon from his outside hitter position.

"He was a jewel in the rough who got confidence and become a special player," Las Vegas coach Geno Frugoli said. "You look at the kid and you think he doesn't have a chance, but he's our go-to guy and his stats are some of the best in town."

Frugoli attributes much of Rogers' success to his "uncanny court vision," which helps the Wildcat senior beat the blocks of opponents five and six inches taller.

"He knows when there are three games on him, when there are two guys on him and where the holes are when he hits," Frugoli said. "He's our primary passer and our main hitter."

After the season, Rogers will get the chance to explore another potential benefit of his switch to volleyball -- an athletic scholarship to college. Already, several schools have contacted him, giving him hope for a future in the sport.

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