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Athlete update

Broken wrist leads to guard's basketball future

By NANCY MORGAN
Published January 1, 2006

A broken wrist was responsible for Kelcey Roegiers-Jensen choosing basketball over softball.

From the only 6-year-old girl on a boys basketball team at Roberts Community Center to a four-time all-state player at Boca Ciega High, Roegiers-Jensen is now in her junior season at Georgia State.

The guard is third on the team in scoring average (9.1 points) and second in rebounds (5.7). In the Panthers' first-round win in its invitational last week, Roegiers-Jensen had 17 points, seven assists and nine rebounds.

"I was actually planning on trying out for softball when I was about 6 years old," said Roegiers-Jensen, 20. "When I broke my wrist, I missed tryouts and the whole softball season. Basketball was next and when I tried it, it instantly caught my attention. The game keeps going and that kept my attention from the very beginning."

Roegiers-Jensen played point guard every year until she was a freshman at Georgia State. After spending time at both the two- and three-guard positions, Roegiers-Jensen has settled into the two-guard spot.

"I play mostly the two-guard, but the only real difference between that and point guard is that I don't bring the ball down the court," she said.

"I still fulfill all the leadership roles, from reading defenses to calling plays. You have to be a vocal leader, be strong in scoring, rebound on offense and defense and pass effectively."

Roegiers-Jensen's transition to college basketball was a quick one. She played in 29 games her first year, all 30 her sophomore season and is a returning starter this year. The increased pace of the game and a high level of commitment were the biggest differences at the college level.

Roegiers-Jensen entertained various college options, including Rutgers, Old Dominion and Northwestern. Choosing Georgia State, Roegiers-Jensen said, came down to the wire. Besides wanting to play in a top program, Roegiers-Jensen looked for a school that wasn't so large that she couldn't showcase her talents.

A big factor, too, was 12-year coach Lea Henry-Manning. A 1984 Olympic gold medalist, Henry-Manning provides leadership, direction and instruction.

Henry-Manning, a Tennessee graduate, runs a very structured offense and is old school and strong on fundamentals, Roegiers-Jensen said.

"This is our first year in the (Colonial Athletic Association) and it would be great to win it," Roegiers-Jensen said. "It would be an honor to be chosen MVP like last year at our tournament and even better for our team to advance to the NCAA Tournament."

On Friday, Roegiers-Jensen and her Panther teammates lost to Davidson 63-56 in the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Invitational championship.

MORE BASKETBALL: Junior forward Dominique Redding (Clearwater) scored 12 for No. 1 Tennessee in a 107-39 victory over Princeton on Dec.20.

Shaneisha Walton (Largo/Appalachian State) scored 13 of Tampa's first 15 in a 60-40 win over Palm Beach Atlantic on Dec.22. The sophomore center ended the game with a career-high 21 points and a team-high six rebounds.

Last year's Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year is averaging 15 points and has 93 rebounds.

Junior guard Jen Hansen (Seminole) scored nine for Army in a 67-54 win over Gardner-Webb Dec.19.

Senior center Catherine Dupont (St. Petersburg Catholic) is averaging more than 10 minutes per game for Rice. Dupont, a two-time Academic All-American, is playing her second season of basketball after starting four seasons on the volleyball team and leading the Owls to their first NCAA appearance in 2004.

Greg Cummings (East Lake West Point Prep) is a reserve forward at Saint Anselm. The junior has played in three of 10 games.

Vitor Boccardo (Admiral Farragut) is a sophomore forward at Loyola Marymount.

Matt Walker (Seminole) and Tuck Taylor (Palm Harbor University) are senior guards for West Florida.

FOOTBALL: Bethune-Cookman senior Ricky Williams was named to the Walter Camp Football Foundation I-AA all-American team and to the Sports Network second team.

The return specialist averaged 31.4 yards returning, including two touchdowns, with the longest a 95-yarder against Savannah State.

Atif Austin (Tarpon Springs/Iowa State/SW Minnesota State) completed his first season as running back coach for North Iowa.

As a player for Iowa State (1998-2002), Austin received honorable mention in the Big 12.

Senior linebacker Mike Andrews (East Lake) started all 11 games for Youngstown State, collecting 70 tackles, including 11 against Liberty in a 42-0 win.

Sophomore defensive end Blake Halverson (Keswick Christian) played in seven games for Youngstown.

WRESTLING: Wes Walker (Countryside) is a freshman member of Harvard's squad, competing in the 174-pound weight class.

SWIMMING: Marshall's Erin Hill (East Lake) was first in the 200-yard breaststroke in the team's loss to West Virginia. Hill's time of 2 minutes, 25.41 seconds was a season-best for the sophomore.

Clearwater's Jay Carpenter (homeschooled) helped the U.S Merchant Marine Academy to its fourth consecutive win with a first in the 200 individual medley, 100 freestyle and 400 medley relay. At the ECAC Championships, the sophomore was seventh among the top 20 individual scorers.

CROSS COUNTRY: Erin Heeder (Dunedin/South Florida) ran Tampa's fifth-best time (25 minutes, 15 seconds) in the NCAA Championships in Pomona, Calif.

VOLLEYBALL: Sophomore middle blocker Chelsea Lazar (East Lake) saw action in Marshall's NCAA first-round matchup with Ohio State.

News for this column may be faxed to Nancy Morgan, 796-5559; e-mailed to namorgan46@msn.com or sent to 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. Please include phone number.

[Last modified January 1, 2006, 00:28:15]