ANCHORAGE (Aug. 23) – Alaska Anchorage men’s basketball head coach Rusty Osborne announced a sizeable addition to his team’s front court on Monday as Division I transfer Taylor Rohde has joined the Seawolves’ 2010-11 roster.
A 6-8, 235-pound forward, Rohde comes to UAA after two seasons at Arizona State. Last year he saw action in 30 games for a Sun Devils team that went 22-11 and finished runner-up in the Pacific-10 Conference. The Phoenix native averaged 2.2 points and 1.2 rebounds, shooting 53 percent from the field.
“With our lack of depth at the end of last year, Taylor fills a huge need for us in the front court,” said Osborne, who enters his seventh season as UAA head coach with a 110-67 record this fall. “He brings Pac-10 experience and can play both the power forward and center positions.
“Although not a shot-blocker, he will give us another great defensive player as he led Arizona State in charges taken last year. We also feel that in our system he will have a chance to be very good offensively and take some pressure off our perimeter shooters.”
Prior to ASU, Rohde completed a storied prep career at Pinnacle High School, where he was named the Phoenix All-Metro Player of the Year in 2007-08 by the Arizona Republic. As a senior that season, Rohde averaged 29.5 points, 12.0 rebounds and shot 63 percent from the field.
A member of the Republic’s five-player All-Arizona team three years in a row, Rohde set at least 15 school records at Pinnacle, including season marks for points 855), rebounds (306), free throws made (177) and blocks (75), and career records for points (2,226), rebounds (1,034), free throws made (564), blocks (216) and field-goal percentage (.630). As a senior he also set PHS’s single-game high with 47 points in a win over Horizon High.
“Our staff is most excited about the fact that Taylor’s main concern is about winning and the team being successful,” Osborne added. “He had a magnificent high school career and was a solid contributor on an elite Pac-10 team, but from our first conversation, he has stressed the fact that he wants team success over individual. He is a quality individual both on and off the court, and we are thrilled he chose to be a Seawolf the next two years.”
Rohde was also the 2008 Gatorade Arizona Player of the Year, a McDonald’s All-America nominee and the 2008 Pima Region Player of the Year.
He becomes the fifth member of UAA’s 2010-11 recruiting class, joining freshmen Kyle Fossman (6-1, 190, G, Haines [Alaska Gatorade Player of the Year]) and Thompson (6-0, 175, G, Anchorage/Dimond HS), and JC transfers Mario Gill (6-2, 190, G, Portland, Ore./Wilson HS/Eastern Arizona College) and Chris Plooy (6-5, 190, F, Anchorage/Dimond HS/Green River [Wash.] CC).
--GoSeawolves.com--
Nate Sagan
Sports Information Director
University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Dr. / Anchorage, AK 99508
(907) 786-1295 / Fax: (907) 563-4565
GoSeawolves.com
