Men's Basketball | 3/7/2024 5:21:00 PM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
Wichita State guard Colby Rogers wakes up most mornings by 6:20 to dress and make the two-minute drive to Koch Arena for an hour workout at 7 a.m.
 
On days when it is difficult to get out of bed, he looks at the three words written on notebook paper taped to his mirror in his bathroom.
 
Perception. Action. Will.
 
On Tuesday, Rogers comes out of tunnel, wearing a gray Shocker shirt and black shorts, to work with special assistant Xavier Holland, who oversees individual skill sessions. Three student assistants rebound, pass and set screens.
 
Music by Future, Rogers' favorite artist, plays during the session.
 
Rogers, a junior guard from Covington, Ga., starts with between-the-legs dribble drills. He moves to one-hand bank shots in the lane, working both hands. Later, he moves outside the three-point arc, shooting – and making most – from the corners, wings and top of the key.
 
He practices layups, floaters and jump shots, using both hands, on both sides of the rim. He shoots free throws, slams the ball in frustration after a miss, takes pullup jumpers and maneuvers around screens and past students acting as defenders.
 
"I've got a goal I want to get to," Rogers said. "Even the day I don't want to get up, I know deep down those days are most important. You can't do it for two weeks or two months and expect a lot of growth. You've got to be consistent."
 
The words on the mirror help. "Perception" tells him to look at situations from a positive view. "Action" tells him to move. "Will" tells him to keep going through adversity.
 
 

Casual @_colbyrogers pic.twitter.com/AE1hUYiTtS

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) March 3, 2024

 
 
"I was reading a lot last year about the mind and the discipline to be great," he said. "Is everybody else doing this? If I want to be different from everybody else, I've got to differentiate myself."
 
Rogers is certainly making a difference for the Shockers (13-17, 5-12 American Athletic Conference), who end the regular season on Friday at Tulane (8 p.m., ESPN2). Rogers leads WSU by scoring 16.1 points and makes 40.9 percent of his three-pointers. In wins over UAB and Rice, Rogers made 12 of 15 three-pointers and averaged 27 points.
 
Rogers' success starts with his morning routine, one that didn't change during a recent slump.
 
"If you came in here at 7 a.m., you're going to see Colby Rogers," coach Paul Mills said. "I think what happens with a lot of players is that if I shoot well, I stop working out. If I shoot poorly, I come in an overdo it. That's not him. He'll continue to put in the work."
 
Those habits started in high school in New Jersey and guided by his uncle James Melvinhand. He got Rogers started on 6 a.m. workout when he attended Roselle Catholic High School in Roselle, N.J.
 
"He always would say, 'We can rest later,'" Rogers said. "He built that foundation of getting up and getting to the gym. I had to learn that I had to go to sleep earlier. It was some of the best things that ever happened to me, establishing that foundation, that routine, that discipline. That's what it takes to get to the professional level."
 
Holland met Rogers and gave him his choice of workout times. Unless it's game day or a morning practice, they are together at 7 a.m. with few exceptions.
 
"I never have to beg him at all," Holland said. "We started getting up shots, getting up more reps, more reps. As time went on, we started doing more off ball-screens. More reads. He wanted to add more. He wants to evolve."
 
Rogers, always an excellent shooter, is finding more success driving to the basket as AAC play wore on. Sessions with Holland helped as they drilled on ways to beat defenses that work to take away his three-pointer. Rogers uses a SKLZ heavy ball that is three pounds, roughly twice as heavy as a normal basketball, to improve his dribbling skills.
 
"I'm working on attacking angles, different finishes," Rogers said. "Using the threat of the shot to open up lanes for me. The fact I've been getting to the basket more is a testament to different ball-handling (drills)."
 
Rogers values working Holland, who played point guard in college, because of his size and experience. When they work on attacking defenders after using a ball screen, Holland can communicate what defenses are planning and how to counter.
 
"He played, so he knows exactly what I'm looking for," Rogers said. "He's a smaller guard, so ball-handling for him is second nature. Having that perspective is beneficial."
 
Holland doesn't say much during the morning workouts. He lets Rogers do the workout with little feedback, a nod to the early hours and the need for efficiency.
 
"I let him work," Holland said. "Let him do what he needs to do. Throughout the day, a throughout practices, throughout games, that's when I do the most talking."
 
Perception. Action. Will.  Those words help get Rogers moving in the morning. Those early hours are leading to big days and nights for Rogers.
 
 

Stop and Pop 🎯@_colbyrogers makes it a 7-0 run! pic.twitter.com/8qsWGorIha

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) February 22, 2024

 
 
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.