Huskies have big hopes for Regina Rogers

Liz Lay couldn't contain her excitement. The sophomore forward bubbled with energy not always seen around the Washington women's basketball team.

The reason: Regina Rogers, a transfer from UCLA, is eligible to play after redshirting last season.

Washington's slogan this season is "Bigger and Better." At the heart of it is Rogers, a 6-foot-3 center who led Chief Sealth to back-to-back Class 3A state championship games. Rogers, who has three years of eligibility remaining, draws comparisons to former Oklahoma star Courtney Paris with her imposing stature and rebounding skills.

"Regina is going to help us a bunch," Lay said with a wide smile. The Huskies ranked ninth in the Pac-10 in rebounding (34.5) last year. "I can't even talk about it."

During the Huskies' 8-22 season a year ago, coach Tia Jackson touted Rogers' decision to transfer as part of the coach's optimism for the future. But the bang Rogers is expected to produce with her inside presence won't be immediate — or solo.

Rogers isn't in top game shape and has to work on her conditioning. Until she's in better condition, her lack of quickness makes her more susceptible to committing fouls.

But the Huskies have plenty of help for Rogers, who jumped into the starting lineup. There are 12 players returning, and the Huskies hope Rogers will grow into a nice complement to senior post Laura McLellan (6-2), who averaged 8.7 points and 4.1 boards last season.

Sophomores Lay (6-1) and Mackenzie Argens (6-3) complete a versatile post rotation.

"We have a running joke that every time I came off the bench, I played so much better," said McLellan, who started 18 games in 2008-09. "Every time I started, I'd foul right away and be on the bench anyway."

For Rogers, it took a lot of personal growth just to get into uniform for Saturday's regular-season opener at Portland State.

"She wasn't into anything, actually," Charmaine Barlow, a teammate at UW and Chief Sealth, said of Rogers' redshirt season. "She was dull for a minute."

Rogers might still be playing for the Bruins had it not been for the death of her grandmother in 2007 — two months before she enrolled at UCLA. Cora Dorsey helped raise Rogers and attended all of her high-school games.

Rogers played with former high-school teammate Christina Nzekwe at UCLA, but couldn't find comfort among teammates throughout her freshman season. Rogers started 15 games and averaged 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds, earning Pac-10 all-freshman honorable mention following a 16-17 season.

Returning home last year to be with loved ones, including her boyfriend and twin brother to grieve, didn't solve the problem, however. Not even basketball comforted her. Add Washington's trials on the court, and everything seemed disappointing.

The Huskies finished a school-worst 3-15 in the conference and had a Pac-10 record 77-point loss to Stanford among their trail of defeats.

"When she passed away, I felt like basketball passed away with her," Rogers said of her grandmother. "When I was down there [UCLA], I didn't have that passion for it anymore. It was always grieving.

"Now that I'm back, I've found that passion. I actually want to be on the court. And the team helps me out a lot. They understand that my grandmother passed away, and a lot of the girls I've played with before."

The Huskies seemingly need only to stay healthy to be more successful in Jackson's third season as coach. And Rogers, the daughter of former UW football and basketball player Reggie Rogers, is a big part of that.

"I feel better than any of the years I've played basketball," Regina Rogers said. "I know I need a lot more conditioning. But I'm prepared.

"I don't think it's a lot put on me — it's a lot put on us as a team. Without my team, I can't be this great player everybody wants me to be. So I don't feel like I'm taking on a lot of things, because my team is behind me all the way."

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com