By Ken Hansard

For the coming basketball season, the Goddard Lions boys’ team will experience some recently unprecedented continuity. Senior guard Nick Rogers has been at least a part-time starter for the Lions since his sophomore year, and at least two of his teammates, seniors Logan Davis and Jake Jasnoski, have also been contributing since their sophomore years. However, this is the first time that anyone currently at Goddard High will have the luxury of running a system for a second straight season under the same head coach, in this case, second year head coach Blake Myers. Rogers looks forward to the dividends that this should pay.  “I look forward to seeing how we have improved. I’m also excited to see some of the new pieces we will have on the floor – people who have either recovered from injury or who should contribute just because of added experience.”

Rogers was named Honorable Mention (AVCTL Division II) last year for a Lions team that finished 8-13. Despite his experience with the Lions varsity squad, Rogers isn’t resting on his laurels. He spent quite a bit of time in the off-season honing his skills, “I worked mainly on shooting and ball handling. I need to get my turnovers down from last year and need to be more of a threat from the outside.” 

After losing in the first round of the playoffs last year to eventual state champion Andover, Rogers and the Lions fully expect to see improvement this season. “Our team would like to win a playoff game and have the best record at Goddard since the Goddard – Eisenhower High School split. We would like to finish in the top 3 of the AVCTL Division II.”

Rogers is a Goddard High Student Council member. He also plays for the Lions’ baseball team that made it to state last year. Nick plans to attend Kansas State next year and studying accounting.