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DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — American University lost leading scorer Matt Rogers to a right knee injury during Wednesday night's 83-72 loss to Mount St. Mary's in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament, ending a storybook final season for a player who chose to stay at the small school in the nation's capital instead of transferring to a bigger program.
“This kid has worked really, really hard,” Eagles coach Duane Simpkins said. “He’s come a long way. It's going to make him a better player moving forward. It’s going to make him a better person, learning how to deal with adversity. It was disappointing to see him go down like that, for sure.”
Rogers, a fifth-year senior who has already graduated, initially tweaked his knee four minutes into the game between No. 16 seeds seeking to advance to a date with top-seeded Duke in the main March Madness bracket. He went to the locker room, got it wrapped and was able to return. But he seemingly made the injury worse while trying to defend the post.
“It was a weird box-out,” Rogers said. “It felt weird on my knee the first time, tried to play through it, had a sleeve on, planted it weird a second time. You hate to see your body go out like that. Wasn't disappointment. Just a little upset.”
The 6-foot-9 forward said he needed further tests to determine the nature and extent of the injury.
While lying on the court, Rogers reached out to grab Simpkins' hand as trainers looked at his knee. Rogers was helped to the locker room and quickly ruled out. He returned to the bench using crutches for the start of the second half, with his mother watching from the stands with tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Yeah, I feel terrible for him,” Mount St. Mary's coach Donny Lind said. “His versatility really stood out. he plays really, really hard. I hope he gets better.”
Rogers averages 17 points a game and was making his NCAA Tournament debut after leading the Eagles to the Patriot League title and their first March Madness appearance since 2014. He had seven points before the injury.
“As you can see, I tried to give it my all tonight,” Rogers said. “I feel like I still had a lot left in my heart for these guys because y’all don’t know what goes into this process of being a college basketball player. I was proud of the guys and how they responded and how they adapted with me not being out there.”
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Rogers turned down what his father called “life-changing money” from an unnamed school to stay at American, which could only promise him free parking on its Northwest Washington campus and the occasional free meal if he chose to remain with the Eagles.
“For me to go out like that, unfortunately, I wish I could have done more for us and for the AU community because they deserved an NCAA win,” Rogers said.
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