Roquemore's journey to DI basketball program paid off

By Tom Schreier

Evan Roquemore has always been the smallest guy on the court.

"I've been playing against grown men since sixth, seventh grade," said Roquemore, whose father, Bryan, coached high school basketball. "My dad would take me to men's leagues and have me play against men."

An assistant coach at Foothill High School in Henderson, Nev., Bryan would have Evan practice with the high school team in order to get used to the physical nature of the game.

"My dad knew the physicality of the game and what it takes to get better," Evan added. "[He] put me up against better competition to get me ready for that."

After his fifth grade season, Roquemore received a wake-up call from his father. When Evan first realized his potential in basketball and began growing increasingly confident, Bryan placed him in a summer league against high school players.  

"I thought I could handle myself," said Evan, laughing as he recalled his first time playing against larger players.

He entered the game with two minutes left.

With time ticking down with the lead well in hand, Evan had a great look at the basket from three-point range.

"I remember catching the ball in the corner," he says, "and some bigger guy just came and clobbered my shot into the stands."

As he watched the ball sail into the bleachers, he thought to himself: "I guess I gotta improve everything... it's not going to be easy."

Nothing ever comes easy for Roquemore.

As a high school senior, he averaged 23.8 points per game and led his team to the regional championship in Nevada. He was named to the All-State team, the region MVP, and was a McDonald's All-American nominee.

However, his accolades only drew interest from little known mid-major programs.

"My recruitment process was definitely frustrating," he said. "I was putting up numbers to where I thought that I should be recruited more than I was."

Santa Clara took interest in him around that time, but decided to go with junior college transfer Lamb Autrey, who at 6'3", 185, was 20 pounds heavier than Roquemore.

"Lamb has the needed experience that we are looking for, especially for our young backcourt," Keating told SantaClaraBroncos.com after Autrey signed a National Letter of Intent.

Roquemore remained in contact with Santa Clara after the signing, but began to generate interest after a summer of AAU basketball.

Despite his efforts, teams wanted Roquemore to go to prep school for a year.

"Lots of schools wanted me to do an extra year so I could get older and stronger," said Roquemore, who is still 18 years old. "I wanted to go DI straight out of high school."

Later that summer he received offers from the University of Georgia and Cincinnati, but Roquemore sensed feigned interest and declined to visit either school.

"I didn't like the fact that they hadn't recruited me before and all of a sudden wanted me to sign," he deadpanned. "I thought it was because they needed something, not because they really wanted me to come."

However, Autrey never panned out for Santa Clara. The Plano, Tex. native never donned Bronco red and currently plays Division II basketball in San Antonio.

Santa Clara remained in contact with Roquemore throughout the process. Pleased with the way Keating and his staff had handled the recruitment process, he signed with the Broncos.

"He brings you in and makes you feel like you're part of something," Roquemore said of his coach. "He keeps it real with you, lets you know what's gonna happen — he doesn't sugar coat anything."

"I like the honesty."

Roquemore received the scholarship and drove up the next day. He started summer school the day after that.

Despite being a late addition to the team, he was well-received and made an immediate impact.

"Everyone was high on him in the summer," said graduating senior Troy Payne.

In the first team practice, the senior had to choose teams. Payne made Roquemore his first overall pick.

"He just got here... and everyone already wanted him as the number one pick," said Payne. "He was a person you wanted on your team because you knew he was a winner.

"He showed that throughout the whole year. That's part of the reason why we won."

Roquemore started the year behind incumbent Robert Smith, who had set the school record for minutes played as a freshman the year before.

Ten games into the season, turmoil struck the team Smith left, and Roquemore was given the starting role.

"I had to pick up the slack so we could continue to win," he said. "I wanted to... keep everyone involved and everything together even though somebody left."

"His performance this year definitely exceeded my expectations, by a lot," wrote junior Marc Trasolini in an email. "No one really knew much about him and right from the first game, he became our floor general at point guard."

After taking the helm, Roquemore led the team to a winning season — a first in the Keating era — and a postseason championship in the CIT Tournament.

"When we played USF he had a great game," said Payne about the third meeting between San Francisco Dons and Santa Clara in the CIT.

"(USF freshman point guard Cody) Doolin was going at his head. I got on him about it during the game and he responded. That was one of the better things about the season."

"He was the leader on the court," said redshirt sophomore Kevin Foster, who led the nation in three-point shooting. "He's a really smart kid, so he knew a lot of the answers. I didn't have to help him out too much."

Foster believes his father greatly helped his development on the court.

"When you're around basketball you see stuff that other people who aren't around basketball don't see all the time," said Foster.

"It's good to play against older players because they are stronger. When you get back down to your level you feel like you've been through it so you're used to the physicality of the game."

Roquemore was named to the All-WCC Freshman team and was named a Mid-Major All-American following the Broncos' championship.

His focus in the offseason will be adding weight to his 165 pound frame.

"Obviously he needs a lot of help with his body," said Keating of Roquemore, "but that's to be expected of an 18-year-old kid."

Maybe next year Roquemore will not be the smallest player on the court.

Contact Tom Schreier at tschreier@scu.edu or (408) 551-1918.