RH: Rogers Brings Care Factor, Experience To Shockers

The RoundHouse | 7/21/2023 8:47:00 AM

By Paul Suellentrop

The final project for the "Audio Storytelling and Podcasting" class in the Elliot School of Communication is a podcast, usually around 10-15 minutes on a subject chosen by the student.

wanted more than simple sound to culminate his work with instructor Jessica Newman last spring. Rogers, a 6-foot-4 guard on the Wichita State basketball team, wanted video, an important guest and a meaningful conversation.

"He ended up going above and beyond," Newman said. "His level of quality was really high."

Rogers, majoring in general studies in communication, is a podcast fan who enjoys "I Am Athlete," "All The Smoke" and "Krew Season." He prefers the video version so he can see facial expressions and interactions.

He swung big for his guest – Paul Mills, his new coach. Rogers recorded the interview at the Doo-Dah Diner, a well-known Shocker favorite in downtown Wichita. The podcast lasts 50 minutes.

"I want to make sure my guests are comfortable," Rogers said. "I really try to have a conversation. I've always been a curious kid, someone who tries to soak knowledge up."

Mills and Rogers talked about Mills' road to coaching, how Rogers felt overlooked as a recruit and the Baylor coaching tree that launched Mills. He induced Mills to reveal that he had 27 Michael Jordan posters in his room as a youngster.

"I had one on my ceiling, so that when I woke up, he was the first thing I saw," Mills says on the podcast. "That's how much I loved Michael Jordan. I slept with his basketball."

"Hoop Dreams" is Mills' favorite documentary, Rogers discovers during the interview, and the coach knows almost every line from "Hoosiers."

Rogers earned an "A" for the final project, in addition to building a relationship with his new coach. Rogers invited MIlls at the end of their first meeting as player-coach.

"He knew what he was doing," Mills said. "He knew my background. You could tell he had put some time into it. He has a future beyond basketball, if he ever decides to get into broadcasting."

Newman said Rogers told her at the start of class that he wanted to launch a podcast. He regularly came to optional production days to talk through projects. For an assignment to produce a chapter from an audio book, he recorded sounds such as squeaking sneakers and a basketball hitting a backboard.

At the Doo-Dah Diner, he tested sound to place microphones properly and minimize the hum from appliances. He edited the sound carefully with noise reduction filters.

"That was the way he approached every project," Newman said. "He liked to talk through things, which I thought was really cool. It gave me an opportunity to guide him in a way many students don't take."

Rogers, a redshirt junior from Covington, Ga., plans more "Colby's Corner Podcasts," largely focused in and around the world of athletics. Making his guest comfortable is his first goal.

"Having fun with it," he said. "Asking engaging questions. And showing them with the questions I'm asking that I've done some research."

Mills sees the same curiosity and willingness to engage around the basketball team. He sees a maturity and a charisma to Rogers. Rogers, helped by his three seasons of college experience, is one of the lead talkers on the court, calling out switches and assignments.

"He cares about a number of things besides just basketball," Mills said. "He handles himself really well off the court. You hate to use the word 'natural leader,' but you can tell he has leadership abilities that need to be honed."

Rogers' "care factor" is high, in Mills' terminology. Rogers said a transfer to Roselle Catholic High School in New Jersey changed his attitude on working. That team was stacked with talent, including teammate Naz Reid of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"My first day there, they were like 'Who is he?'" Rogers said. "I had to earn my way. Weekends. Holidays. We were always in the gym. After time, I got more playing time and more playing time."

Rogers played at Cal Poly and Siena before transferring to Wichita State in 2022. He sat out last season to satisfy NCAA eligibility requirements after the transfer and earned a spot on the American Athletic Conference's All-Academic team.

At Siena, he earned second-team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference honors after averaging 14.1 points and making 42.9 percent of his three-pointers.

"If you come in here at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning and hear a basketball bouncing, I'm willing to bet it's ," Mills said. "Colby's a shot-maker."

Oral Roberts, where Mills coached before coming to Wichita State in March, averaged 29.3 three-pointers a game last season, fifth nationally. They made 10.7 a game, second nationally, for a 36.5-percent accuracy to rank No. 56.

Rogers, after sitting out the 2022-23 season, is looking forward to the coming exhibition trip to Greece and his first season in a Shocker uniform.

"(Mills') style, his schemes are built for fast-paced, more of like a professional style of basketball," Rogers said. "It's 'Let's get the best shot possible.' Greece will be good for us to put it to the test."

Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at [email protected].