Prospect Spotlight: Tyler Rollwagon (2019)
After a strong summer running with Team KC, Gardner Edgerton 2019 guard Tyler Rollwagon is gearing up for a big senior season.
A 6’1 point guard, Rollwagon is a strong leader and floor general who carry the load offensively when necessary. He can create his own shot, but likes to get his teammates involved and takes pride in his abilities at the defensive end of the court, including communicating effectively with his teammates.
He says playing for Team KC in the offseason was a terrific experience as he played with and against a lot of talented plaeyrs.
“It definitely helped prepare me to face some of the quicker guards I am going to be matched up with come school ball,” Rollwagon said. “This off-season was huge for me. I spent a lot of time in the weight room getting both stronger and quicker. I also dedicated a huge amount of my time to finishing at and around the rim. It was something I felt like I had to improve on in order to be successful against bigger, more athletic defenders.”
Gardner-Edgerton returns four starters from a team that went 9-14 last season and adds several talented underclassmen to the line-up as well.
“We’re an energetic group with a ton of talent and a great work ethic,” Rollwagon said. “We’re looking to take the next step as a program and surprise a lot of people this season.”
Rollwagon says his family and his youth coach, Kevin Wright, have had the biggest influence on his career to date.
“Wright has easily been the most influential person for me in terms of my basketball career,” Rollwagon said. “He only coached me from seventh grade to 10th grade, but he taught me so much in that time and we still stay in touch today. He took me under his wing and treated me like a son, bettering me as a basketball player and a young man. He is the reason why I play with so much confidence to this day.’
On the floor, Rollwagon says he enjoys watching PG Chris Paul play.
“Paul is someone I’ve been watching since I was a kid,” Rollwagon said. “I feel like he is a player that I can learn so much from being that he is an undersized guard who knows how to balance his scoring and playmaking ability. The way he manipulates the defense coming off of ball screens is something that I continue to work on and add to me game. I also try to take after him and the way he is so effective on the defensive end without being the biggest or most athletic guy.”
Rollwagon has been in continued contact with Bethel College, Kansas Wesleyan University, Graceland University, Doane University, and William Woods University and has visited KWU, WWU, and BC.
“I do hold offers from the majority of these schools and I feel like I have some great options on the table and plan to make a decision sometime soon,” Rollwagon says.