History for Hawley, Rogers
Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008
Daily Record photograph by Sarah Nader With members of the Rogers basketball team behind him, senior forward Aaron Hawley looked at his dad Mitch Hawley before he signed a letter of intent with Drake University on Wednesday night at W. E. King Arena. Hawley is the first Division I boys’ basketball signee in RHS history.
ROGERS — There have been good basketball players at Rogers High School through the years.
Aaron Hawley is one of them, of course, but now he stands alone.
The 6-foot-7 senior signed a national letter of intent Wednesday night to play for the Drake Bulldogs, becoming the school’s first Division I signee in boys’ basketball.
The ceremony took place inside W. E. King Arena before a crowd that included Hawley’s teammates at RHS, several family members and Mountaineer basketball fans.
He was given a standing ovation. The Mounties held their annual Blue-White scrimmage immediately following.
“ This is an accumulation of all the work he’s done for a lot of years to get this opportunity, ” Rogers coach Marty Barnes says. “ This is special for Aaron and something I’m sure he’s dreamed about all his life. ”
Hawley has helped the Mounties to a 39-17 record and two state tournament berths the last two seasons, earning All-Conference honors as a sophomore and All-State recognition as a junior.
Last season he averaged 15. 2 points per game as Rogers reached the state quarterfinals and finished the season 21-8. As a touted sophomore, Hawley averaged 12. 1 points per game and made a statewide splash by scoring 30 points — 22 in the second half — to help the Mounties beat Little Rock Central in the state tournament at Har-Ber High School. The victory put Rogers into the state semifinals for the first time in the modern playoff era.
Hawley also had a 32-point game as a freshman at Elmwood Junior High, where he was a two-year starter. He said Drake was impressive from top to bottom during his recruiting visit.
“ I had offers from St. Louis and Belmont and some others but Drake feels like a good school, ” Hawley says. “ I met with the president, the athletic director, coaches and players; I loved everybody. They’re real good people. Had a great visit. ”
Drake, of the Missouri Valley Conference, was nationally ranked last year and enjoyed a school-record 28-5 season, advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 37 years.
Mark Phelps, associate head coach at Arizona State the last two seasons, was hired in the offseason as the school’s new head coach and was responsible for getting Hawley to Des Moines. Phelps was named after Keno Davis, last year’s Associated Press Coach of the Year, left for Providence not long after the season ended.
Hawley says he’s glad to end the recruiting process before beginning his final season with the Mounties.
“ I think it benefits me more, ” he says. “ Just in case I were to get injured or something crazy like that. And this takes a lot of pressure off. I can relax and enjoy my senior year. ”
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