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Sharp-shooting Rogowski leads DePaul's attack

This is the Megan Rogowski everyone at Hersey High School remembers.

The 5-foot-9 Rogowski came off the bench for the Blue Demons as a freshman and sophomore, but now she's starting at off-guard and putting the ball in the basket with the kind of success she had when she scored a school-record 2,365 points at Hersey, where she holds 11 school records.

Rogowski, who hails from Prospect Heights, tops DePaul in scoring at 15 points per game. She poured in 19 points with 4 three-pointers in the Blue Demons' 96-85 loss at home to No. 5 Kentucky on Thursday.

On the season, Rogowski has hit a team-high 24 three-pointers, and she leads the Big East Conference in 3-point field goals with 3.4 made per game.

“I knew we had some open spots coming into this year, and being a junior I wanted to take advantage of that,” Rogowski said. “I worked really hard this summer to get a spot and that's paid off.”

Rogowski, who hit 271 3-pointers in high school, worked most on adding more balance to her offense. She seems more confident this season putting the ball on the floor and driving to the basket.

But if given the choice, she'd still pick a shot from 3-point range. That's her comfort zone, which is reflected in her impressive 44 percent shooting clip from long range.

“Definitely,” said Rogowski, who twice scored 42 points in a game at Hersey. “When I catch the ball, I just want to shoot it. I've always been a shooter, a 3-point shooter. It's just my go-to.”

It has been for a long time.

Rogowski can't remember her life without basketball. Her dad Casey played basketball at Northeastern Illinois University and taught his kids to play at an early age. Rogowski's older sister Kelly played at Loras College. Younger sister Claire, an eighth grader, and younger brother Scott, a sixth grader, also play basketball.

“I've been playing basketball since I could walk,” Rogowski said. “My dad taught me how to shoot. I would follow him around and play with him. I've always had a ball in my hand, always shooting.

“He taught me my form and my follow-through and really focused on making sure I had that correct.”

Rogowski, who scored a career-high 23 points at Northwestern earlier this month, knows she made the right college choice. She's glad she stayed close to home.

“I love being in Chicago. I'm close, but not too close,” Rogowski said with a laugh. “If I want to go home, I can. It's really easy to do that on an off day, just stop at home for a little bit.

“It's also great because my family is able to come to all my games. I have a big family. My mom (Judy) is one of eight kids, and I've got a lot of aunts and uncles and cousins who are able to come to games.

“They all have season tickets, so they come all the time.”

And these days when they watch Rogowski play, they're seeing a familiar sight.

pbabcock@dailyherald.com

Ÿ Follow Patricia on Twitter @babcockmcgraw

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