Rogers Picked In 2nd; Says He’s Leaving Gu Gonzaga’s Big Man Already Has Agent To Work Out Deal With Lakers

Since arriving on the Gonzaga University campus three years ago, Paul Rogers has had the luxury of staring down several different roads that could have potentially led to his basketball future.

Wednesday night, he went down the one he hopes will take him to the NBA.

Rogers, a 7-foot, 245-pound center, was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the National Basketball Association draft and immediately announced he will forgo his final year of eligibility at GU to pursue his NBA dream.

He said he made the decision about a week ago and has already secured the services of Jim White, a Los Angeles-based sports agent, to help him talk contract with the Lakers.

Had Rogers not hired an agent, he would have had 30 days to negotiate with the Lakers about an offer before re-applying for his final season of eligibility at GU.

And he admitted that his decision to nix that option by hiring White made for some tense moments as he and former teammate John Nemeth watched the draft with a couple of college friends.

Rogers originally thought he would be selected by Detroit early in the second round. But the Piston opted for UCLA’s Charles O’Bannon, leaving Rogers and his friends to fret through 23 more picks before the Lakers nabbed him with the 25th pick of the second round and 54th of 58 overall.

Rogers, who played in only four games before suffering a season-ending foot fracture last winter, admitted his first reaction was, “relief, basically.

“To tell you the truth, I was pretty nervous at that stage,” he added, “because all of the teams that had expressed an interest in me were picking all these other guys.”

Rogers, a native of Adelaide, Australia, has had a standing offer to return to his homeland to play professionally ever since signing a letter of intent to play at North Idaho College in 1993.

He spent one year at NIC before transferring to GU, where he averaged 13.1 points and 6.7 rebounds while starting 53 of 64 games. He was a first-team All-West Coast Conference selection as a junior in 1995-96 and a leading pre-season candidate for WCC Player of the Year before breaking his foot last year.

He had the option of applying for a medical hardship that would have given him another year of eligibility, but said the lure of the NBA was too much to resist.

“It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make,” Rogers said, “but I’ve made it. I’m going to miss everything here - my teammates, my coaches, the students, the fans. This has pretty much been my home for the last four years.”

Dan Monson, who took over the Bulldogs coaching reins when Dan Fitzgerald retired last March, said he was not surprised by Rogers’ decision to turn pro.

“I think he knew a few days ago he wasn’t going to be a first-round pick, ” Monson explained, “so I didn’t figure he would have stayed in the draft that long if that wasn’t his ultimate goal.

“It’s probably a bad night for next year’s team, but it’s a good night for the program and everybody involved. And it’s a great night for Paul, because he’s always dreamed of playing in the NBA.”

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