Prospect Profile: Jack Roche (2019 Wilsonville HS)
Jack Roche simply has fun playing the game he loves. But while the heady 6-foot, 160-pound point guard enjoys running the floor with his Wilsonville high school teammates, he doesn’t necessarily focus on hoops all year round. Roche participates in other activities when not with high school team, but that’s not to say he wouldn’t appreciate the opportunity to play ball at the next level.
Roche is a three-sport athlete at Wilsonville, running cross-country in the fall and playing tennis in the spring, in addition to hoops in the winter time. This summer, when he’s not playing with the Wildcats in June, he’s been also working on his game.
“I’m working out and the other sports help me out with basketball,” Roche said. “I need to get in better shape for sure, but I’m working on off the dribble stuff and just my vision too – improving my vision as I’ve got a lot of great teammates and they’re all great finishers.”
Roche had a successful run with Wilsonville in June. When you watch him play, he is a true floor leader, helping push the ball on the break and hitting teammates with pinpoint passes. What else would you expect from the son and grandson of championship-winning coaches? “We have a lot of great athletes on the team, moving the ball and getting them the ball in space – they can all do a great amount of things,” Roche said. “So getting them the ball makes my job that much easier.”
Roche is an outstanding student who isn’t afraid to state that Stanford is his dream school. While he admits that getting a chance to suit up for the basketball team is remote, he doesn’t discount a chance to play at the next level. “I’d love to play in college but at the same time I want to go to a good school,” Roche said. “If the opportunity happened to be there to play I’d absolutely love to. I’m really looking for a school where I can get a great education.”
The next time Roche will suit up for hoops will be this winter – where undoubtedly Wilsonville will be expected to be one of the favorites in 5A. “Expectations this early don’t mean anything,” Roche said. “We just can’t listen to any outside noise and just play together and play hard.”
Roche currently ranks as the #36 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2019 rankings.