L.J. Rose looking at Texas, Duke, Kansas and others
Words. Jason Jordan
Second Baptist School (Houston, Texas) point guard L.J. Rose is a rarity. Not just because he’s got a ridiculously quick first step, wicked handles or a dead-eye jump shot.
Rose, a sophomore, is rare because he’s devoid an ego.
He doesn’t mind not starting from Day One when he lands on a college campus in two and a half years. He talks about academics the way most stars talk about a coach’s system. And he doesn’t think staying all four years necessarily means you’re not ready for the NBA.
“You’ve got to want to learn if you’re gonna get better every day,” Rose says. “And that’s all I want to do, get better every time I play.”
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HighSchoolHoop: How did you guys finish up this year?
L.J. Rose: We went 31-5, and we lost in the state championship.
HSH: That’s pretty rough.
LR: Yeah, it was. It wasn’t a buzzer-beater or anything. We got blown out, to be honest. Lost by about 18.
HSH: As weird as this sounds, that’s a little better than a buzzer beater, huh?
LR: (Laughs) Yeah I see what you mean…
HSH: What did you average?
LR: I averaged 17 points, nine assists and four rebounds a game.
HSH: What’s your college list looking like?
LR: Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Texas, Kentucky, Memphis, Arizona, Virginia, New Mexico, Baylor, LSU… That’s about it.
HSH: Now you’re obviously young, but are you looking to cut this down any time soon?
LR: No. I’m just enjoying it all. I’m in no rush.
HSH: Have you visited any of the schools on your list?
LR: I’ve been to Texas once. I workout with (Texas point guard) Jai Lucas so I went to see them play Kansas.
HSH: You’ve got a lot of Texas schools on your list. How tough is it gonna be for other schools to get you out of the state?
LR: I’d love to stay home and play in-state, but at the end of the day I’m gonna sit down with my family and do what’s right for me.
HSH: Do you expect to come in and start right away?
LR: No, not at all. I just want to go where I can develop. I want to play for a coach who can really make me better. I want to win an NCAA title one day and I want to go where my parents can see me play.
HSH: Wow, that’s something I don’t hear every day. You would come in and be OK with playing behind someone?
LR: Definitely. That doesn’t matter to me. You have to learn and you only get to go to college once! At the end of the day you’ll play your last game somewhere, so all of the stuff doesn’t matter. It all works out.
HSH: What else will factor in for you?
LR: Definitely the academics, because you’re gonna need that whenever basketball is over and even while you’re still playing basketball. Academics are really important to me. See college isn’t just about basketball, it’s about learning and growing too.
HSH: So what’s your GPA?
LR: It’s a 3.7.
HSH: Nice! So you sound like your plan is to be a four-year guy?
LR: Yes… Well, that’s iffy. You just never know what your situation will be. I wouldn’t be mad at being in college for four years.
HSH: What NBA player does your game most resemble?
LR: I’m like a mix between Steve Nash and Chris Paul.
HSH: Are those your favorite players?
LR: No, my favorite player is Paul Pierce.
HSH: How close did you follow the NCAA Tournament?
LR: I watched a lot of it.
HSH: Did you pick Duke?
LR: I can’t say that I did. I picked Syracuse in one and then Kentucky.
HSH: So your bracket was done like most of us?
LR: Oh yeah! I had Kansas in the title game, but like you said everyone’s bracket was messed up. Duke played really well down the stretch, though. It was good to see them win.
HSH: We talked to your boy J-Mychal Reese and he said he really likes North Carolina.
LR: Yep.
HSH: Obviously, you guys have a lot of the same schools on your list. Have you ever talked about playing together?
LR: We have. We’ve been playing together since the second grade and that’s something that I know we’d both be interested in.
HSH: If you do that, who’s going to run to run the point?
LR: Hmm … Well he’s more of a combo guard than I am. I’m more of a pure point and he’s a great scorer. I can shoot too though. I’d say we’d be interchangeable.
Got a burning question for Jason? Email him: JasonJ@DimeMag.com
