I remember watching the U-18 tournament last year played in Mexico, where Whitmore was the MVP and super-stud scorer.
Rogers was the point guard the whole tournament and the coach said he might have been their most valuable player. He did great even though he didn't shoot well from the outside. He was certainly the "glue guy" that held that team of super scorers together and pointing in the right direction. I watched every game just to see how he played and thought how lucky we were to be getting him. I still feel that way about his potential contributions.
Could that U-18 tournament be a harbinger of next year?
This certainly is not how I remember it, and I watched most of the games. Rogers was likely the 2nd most valuable player on the floor. Whitmore was the clear star. Rogers role was "person with a clue." They were in short supply.
When Rogers wasn't on the floor, the US team looked very disorganized and was winning off of sheer physical advantages; a sloppy track meet where the US could finish better. When Rogers was on the floor, he tried to act as a floor general on defense. Not everyone listened. It was still good enough that the opposing teams struggled (other than one with an outside shooter on fire).
On offense, I don't recall Rogers ever being the PG. He did make a number of nice passes from his forward position. He was often up the floor quickly on breaks, and made many nice assists. He would receive the ball at the free throw line and make a "one touch" pass. His quick catch/release generated easy shots for teammates. That is a rare skill at the U18 level.
At the time, I thought his passing up open shots was his wanting to make his teammates look good. It may have been his lack of shooting skills. Some of the time the teammates ended up taking worse shots. (Think Damonte.)
Rogers as a point SF. Sure. Rogers as a PG? That would require some skills that I did not see 2 years ago. I'm always skeptical of PGs who can't keep teams honest -- 33%+ 3s. If his shooting and ball handling have improved (he struggled to bring the ball up in the few tries last season), great.
