For Atkins grad Rogers, All-Star Game was icing on the cake
In above photo: Sydnie Rogers boxes out for a rebound against Tainasha Vines of the East All-Stars. (Photos by Craig T. Greenlee)
Playing in last week’s girls East-West All-Star Basketball Game was a dream come true for Atkins graduate Sydnie Rogers.
She couldn’t have asked for a better way to close the curtains on a productive high school basketball career.
The seeds for that dream were planted two years ago when Rogers attended the game as a sophomore.
During an interview after the All-Star Game, there was no denying Rogers’ elation in seeing her dream come to fruition.
“It came to pass, and I feel so blessed to have gotten the opportunity,” said Rogers, who was an All-Northwest 1-A Conference pick this past season. “It [the game] was a great way for me to go out.”
For the time being, Rogers, who will attend the University of North Carolina at Charlotte this fall, has no plans to play in college.
Instead, she’ll devote all of her attention to earning a nursing degree with a specialization in neonatal care.
Rogers, however, admits that she could change her mind and attend try-outs as a walk-on.
“Right now, it’s hard to say whether I’ll give basketball another shot or not. We’ll see what happens.”
At Atkins, Rogers, a 5-foot-9 forward, was an all-purpose standout who averaged 9.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season.
Her versatility at both ends of the floor was vital in the Camels putting together another stellar season (17-5).
The previous year, Atkins was 19-8, which marked a big turnaround from Rogers’ freshman year when the team went 2-7.
Atkins finished up last season as the Northwest Conference runner-up behind eventual state champ Winston-Salem Prep. During the season, the Camels split their two games against the Phoenix.
Rogers, who served as team co-captain for two years, contributed as dependable scorer, rebounder and distributor.
Defensively, Rogers typically guarded the opponent’s best player, which put her in situations where she would defend at all five positions.
Equally important was her presence as the stabilizing influence for a young team that had only two seniors on the roster.
“We established chemistry at Atkins, and it took us a long way,” said Rogers, who graduated with a 4.54 weighted grade-point average. “I’m happy that I played a part in the team’s growth. It was my job to be that voice on the court and off the court. I have faith that they’ll get the job done and win a state title next year.”
There’s no question about Rogers’ love for the game.
The desire to go into neonatal nursing, though, transcends basketball.
Her interest in pursuing a career in health care started as a fourth-grader.
“I remember the pediatric nurse who came to school as part of Career Day,” said Rogers. “I thought it was so cool to have the skills to be able to help take care of newborn babies. Since I love kids, I knew when I was in elementary school that being a neonatal nurse would be the perfect job for me. I just want to do all I can to make sure that infants get the best quality of health care possible.”
