Top of the hill

PHOENIX – Earlier this week – just three days before the biggest game of his college career – the state of Kentucky's newest basketball hero drove by a Chick-fil-A in Bowling Green and glanced at the billboard.

"Ty Rogers," it read, "Employee of the Month."

Rogers snickered. Quite an honor, he thought, considering he doesn't even work there.

The 172 voice messages caught Rogers off guard, too. So did the ovation he received when he walked into class Monday morning, less than 12 hours after being greeted at the airport by 500 or so Western Kentucky fans with signs that read "Ty Rogers for Mayor!" and "The Best Easter Basket We Got Was From Ty Rogers!"

"He's not the type that likes to be in the spotlight," said Rogers' mother, Ruth. "At one point he said, 'Mama, this is starting to get a little overwhelming.' "

Not that Rogers would trade it.

Five days after his buzzer-beating three-pointer catapulted the Hilltoppers to a victory over Drake, Rogers lounged in the locker room at the US Airways Center, where WKU will face UCLA on Thursday in the Sweet 16.

Darrin Horn's squad knows defeating the top-seeded Bruins will be a tall task. Still, even if the Hilltoppers lose, Rogers will always be appreciated for getting them here in the first place.

Thanks to one quick flick of the wrist, his place in the state of Kentucky's basketball history will always be scratched in stone.

"The guy is a hero," Horn said. "He won't be able to go anywhere from Paducah to Ashland without having everyone know who he is."

Watch the replay of Rogers' game-winning heave and it's easy to see why people are still reliving the moment nearly a week later.

Trailing by one with 5.7 seconds remaining, Rogers inbounded the ball to point guard Tyrone Brazelton, who raced across midcourt and kicked a pass to Rogers, who was trailing on the play.

As the final second ticked away, Rogers uncorked a 26-foot, desperation shot from the right wing that swished through the net, giving No. 12 seed Western Kentucky a 101-99 overtime victory.

Just like that, he'd become the Bryce Drew of this NCAA tournament.

"As soon as I caught it I knew I had to put it up," Rogers said. "There was only five seconds. I got a great step-in. It was a rhythm shot and it went down for us."

Western Kentucky went on to defeat San Diego in the next round. Still, even after that victory, the main thing people talked about in the ensuing days was Rogers' heroic opening-round bomb.

Back in Rogers' hometown of Eddyville, Ky., teachers were instructed to turn on the televisions in their classrooms so students could watch the five-minute overtime period against Drake. Within seconds of Rogers' game-winner, teenagers sprung from their desks and stormed the halls to do celebratory cartwheels and chants.

In Bowling Green, Rogers' peers in his Quantitative Methods class watched the final moments of the game from their computer screens and went wild after the finish.

"When we got back, guys on the team were like, 'I'm going to skip my classes and go to class with Ty to see what it's like,' " Western Kentucky guard Adam Howard said. "Everyone wanted to talk about Ty. The whole community already loved him for how hard he works. This was just an added bonus."

Indeed, ask anyone associated with Western Kentucky's program, and they'll tell you that the best part about the shot was the person who took it.

Rogers was the valedictorian of his senior class at Lyon County High School in Eddyville, a three-stoplight town of about 2,500 that counts McDonald's, Pizza Hut and Hardee's as its main restaurants.

Most of his childhood was either spent shooting baskets in the gym at his high school – where his grandfather once coached – or outside his home.

"Our driveway was paved," he said. "But if I wanted to shoot deep, I had to shoot from the grass."

Rogers’ persistence paid off with 407 career three-pointers during his prep career, a Kentucky high school record.

Ignored in the recruiting process by then-Kentucky coach Tubby Smith, Rogers signed with Western Kentucky, where his work ethic and unselfishness have been his biggest calling cards.

Two years ago, Rogers voluntarily gave up his athletic scholarship so the Hilltoppers could add another player to their roster. Now Rogers, a business management major, is on academic scholarship.

"He's still getting the same money, but with most guys (not being on an athletic scholarship) would be an ego thing," Horn said. "But not with him.

"He's sacrificed so much for this program. He's played out of position. He's come off the bench when he should've started.

"No one deserves this more than Ty Rogers. I thought it was fitting that he's the guy that made it."

As much as Rogers has contributed – his 193 three-pointers rank fourth in school history – he's hardly Western Kentucky's top threat.

Leading scorer Courtney Lee is a potential first-round NBA draft pick, and Brazelton burned Drake for 33 points. Still, if the Hilltoppers find themselves in a close game with UCLA on Thursday, don't be surprised if Rogers, a senior, ends up with the ball once again.

"I'd like to think he has as many big shots in him as we need," said forward Matt Maresca, one of Rogers' closest friends.

Maresca smiles.

"Hopefully," he said, "it won't come to that."

Back in his hometown, the one thing that Rogers can count on is that on April 7, moments after the national title game, his mother will walk over to her VCR and press "record."

Each and every year Ruth and her son have watched the "One Shining Moment" video that plays after the national champion is crowned. The film captures the most memorable moments and triumphs of the NCAA tournament.

"We always stay up late and watch it, over and over again," Ruth said. "That's what thrilled me the most. I thought, 'If he ends up being on that one shining moment … that's what every kid dreams about.'

"The Lord has blessed him so much."