Iowa's Rogers stays positive, despite lack of playing time

Jade Rogers stood in the press room Sunday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, flashing a mega-kilowatt smile.

She played. She contributed.

It had been a while.

When Rogers entered the game - the Iowa women's basketball team hammered Indiana, 71-51 - it was the first action for the freshman in more than a month.

She played seven quality minutes, making both of her shots and 1 of 2 free throws in a five-point performance that matched a career-high.

“I thought she went in and did a great job and made the most of her minutes,” said Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder. “You want to see that out of your players when they come off the bench, and I was really happy for Jade.”

Jade was pretty happy for Jade, too.

“When Morgan (Johnson) got into foul trouble, I knew I had to prepare,” Rogers said. “As soon as I heard my name, it turned into fun after that.”

It was only the sixth game this season in which Rogers had played. Her last appearance had been Dec. 9 against Iowa State.

Rogers is unaccustomed to life on the bench. She was a four-time all-stater at Cedar Rapids Kennedy, which she twice led to the state semifinals.

At 5-foot-11, she figured to play power forward at Iowa. Instead, she's an undersized center. Right now, she's the No. 3 post, behind Johnson and Kelsey Cermak.

“She's better suited at (center),” Bluder said last week. “It's hard to be the third center. There just aren't a lot of minutes there to be had.”

Bluder said before the season that Rogers faced a “steep learning curve.”

What does that mean? Last week, Bluder explained.

“It entails so much. It means learning the offense, the defense, all the drills,” she said. “It's a whole different level of intensity. It's so much different at this level, you can't even imagine. You can't make up for it in just a month or two.”

Last year, injuries forced freshmen like Johnson, Jaime Printy and Theairra Taylor to grow up fast and play immediately. That was the exception, not the rule.

“It's definitely a hard transition,” Printy said. “You learn a ton of plays instead of the two or three you ran in high school. It's definitely a challenge.

“Jade has been really positive. She comes in and works hard. She's a great kid, a great player.”

Bluder said, “Everybody loves her. She's really happy-go-lucky, extremely talkative. When she gets on the court, though, she's kind of gotten lost in the shuffle. She can't be afraid to be aggressive. I know she has the ability to score.”

So Rogers is spending the season primarily as a practice player, learning and observing, hoping opportunities come like the one that arose Sunday.

“My coaches and teammates are so good about keeping me positive,” she said. “(Assistant Jan) Jensen pulls me aside when I do things well. Morgan, too. She's a great role model.”

Rogers accepts her role for the time being. But not permanently.

“After this year, I think I can be really effective. I'll get my role down, and I think I can help this team,” she said.