At the beginning of each new year, Phenom Hoops works to assemble a series of articles centered around unsigned senior prospects. Last season, over one hundred players from North Carolina went on to play at the Division I, II, III or NAIA levels, and that number looks likely to continue increasing with the current senior class. Typically, we take a closer look at guys who are overlooked and underrated, and today's edition will highlight Kahari Rogers of Liberty Heights and Team Charlotte.
It's difficult to explain the recruitment of some prospects, and Rogers' is arguably the most puzzling of any unsigned senior in North Carolina. Maybe it's because he started elsewhere (New York) or due to playing with so much surrounding talent. Either way, his recruitment shouldn't be suffering like it has. Guys who possess size, shooting, athleticism, and a two-way identity typically get recruited to play at the highest possible level. Rogers legitimately has all of that and more room to continue growing. His foundation has largely remained the same but he's also made noticeable improvements to his skillset and overall physique throughout the last few years. With shooting at such a premium, one would think that Division I programs should be battling it out to earn the services of someone like Rogers. Although he's capable of leading the charge or going for high scoring totals on a regular basis, his ability to be such a lethal threat as a role player is part of what makes him so enticing. Rogers possesses solid vision and creation skills but can also make an incredible impact without the ball as a cutter and spot-up option.
We've seen Rogers countless times throughout the last year, including our All-American Camp, where we stated: 'Next, we look at a player that stood out as one of the most appealing prospects in attendance, Kahari Rogers. He's a long, wiry, athletic wing prospect with high-level shooting ability, especially from beyond the arc. Rogers is smart and has noticeably expanded his skillset over the last calendar year, which makes him a matchup problem for most types of opponents. He defends with intensity and forced a ton of turnovers during camp, which led to easy buckets in transition. Next in his development process is continuing to add strength to his wiry frame, as it would make him an even better finisher through contact. Coach Doughty on Rogers: 'It's Mr. Rogers' neighborhood! I mean that this guy has major game. He does many things well. What I like most is his attentiveness in the huddle. He's very coachable. Kahari can shoot it from deep, post-up in the half court, and run the floor. Defenders don't know how to play him. He has high potential and still has room to grow. Look out, because here he comes.' Rogers continues to look more and more poised for a breakout senior campaign, where he should collect an abundance of scholarship offers.'
There's so much to like with Rogers, both as a person and prospect, which makes his lack of recruitment so confusing. Hofstra and North Carolina A&T are the only two schools to extend scholarship offers thus far but there are simply too many intelligent college coaches to allow Rogers to fall through the cracks. He could truly become an All-League type of player if he were to end up at either of those schools, however that can be said for a variety of different programs. Rogers is more than a 3-and-D prospect but only time will tell how valuable he'll be at the next level.
