Rogers partners with Murphy for a two-day basketball camp
Murphy As Torin Rogers and other camp instructors passed out T-shirts for the first-ever Torin Rogers Youth Basketball Camp, she joked with two of her old high school teammates, Kaiya Pickens and Sarah Pullium, about how they never would’ve expected Rogers to wear a shirt with her name on it.
It’s not that she wasn’t deserving based on her career at Murphy. She scored more than 1,700 points and helped the Lady Bulldogs win two state championships before going on to play at the University of Richmond. It’s more the fact that Rogers is not a big self promoter and has an easygoing personality.
So for the 38 girls who attended the camp, it was about trying to make sure everyone who attended the camp had fun and learned some things about basketball that could make them successful in the future. Giving back was the main objective.
“It’s a cool thing to see younger girls that look up to you wearing a shirt like that,” Rogers said. “Or just coming to this camp in general. It’s awesome.”
Rogers has been home since early May, the longest time she has been home since going to Richmond in June 2022. She was planning to do a youth camp before returning to Richmond for offseason workouts.
Murphy head coach Gary Thompson said he initially wasn’t planning on having a camp, but changed his mind after learning how big of a fundraiser it is for the program. So he called Rogers’ dad, Hayden, to see if they could combine Torin’s own idea for a youth camp and the annual Murphy camp into one. So on June 5-6 Murphy hosted a camp bearing Torin’s name for rising first- through eighth-graders.
Torin worked with Thompson and assistant coach Alysha Floyd to help plan the camp. She also brought in former Murphy players like Pickens and Pullium as well as Union County alum Ava Hunter, who plays at University of North Georgia, and Swain County alum Mazie Helpman, who now plays ball at Catwaba College. One of Rogers’ teammates from Richmond, Emilija Krista Grava, also helped with the camp.
“For our young ladies to see how successful girls who were just like them are now, that can’t do nothing but help,” Thompson said.
Rogers said spending this long at home has been an “energizer” after what was a challenging freshman year. She thought she was prepared for how much went into being a Division I athlete, but didn’t realize just how much went into it.
A typical day in her first semester started with a 6 a.m. lift. She then had time to do a little work before classes started at 9 a.m. and finished around noon. Practice would start between 1:45 and 2 p.m., but players had to be there an hour early to get ready.
That would last until about 4:30, when she would then do an individual workout with a coach that lasted until 5:30. Then it was time for dinner, with homework until going to bed. That didn’t account for any extra gym time outside of practice.
After a few weeks, she was able to adjust to balancing athletics with academics, and is still looking to major in political science like when she entered college. But when the season started, things got tougher.
After being the clear alpha and leader at Murphy, Rogers didn’t see a lot of playing time as a freshman at Richmond. She played in 25 of the 32 games, but averaged just 6.2 minutes a game. In her last eight games, she did not score a point.
As expected, everyone was bigger, faster and stronger. Rogers noticed how quick her teammates were right away and immediately went to work on that. At times she had to tell herself she was better at certain things than her teammates, just to keep her confidence up and have a positive outlook.
With playing time coming and going, Rogers started to work on other ways she could make an impact on the program. That meant being encouraging on the bench, doing what she needed to do in practice and trying to get students to come to games.
“She was a great example to anyone who was on or off the bench,” Grava said. “She was always there. There was no moment where she wouldn’t be cheering for anyone. She was always cheering and always giving energy to players.”
Rogers was still grateful to be part of a Richmond team that won its most games since the 2011-12 season and advanced to the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. She’s trying to make sure she has a bigger impact on the court next year, working to improve her quickness and spending time in the weight room to get stronger.
Grava said she has the potential to make an impact. It’s just about getting the opportunity and gaining the trust from coaches.
No matter what happens with Rogers at Richmond, she still had plenty to offer for the campers in attendance. After looking up to former Murphy players like Jessica Beckner and Emma Stroup, the position is reversed for Rogers.
Following some scrimmages to end the first day of camp, Rogers brought everyone in for a huddle to ask them what they learned. The age and experience varied, so one girl said she learned how to shoot a layup.
Some campers will walk away with basic skills, while others will see how they stack up against local competition and try to get better. However, what Rogers hopes every kid takes away is the importance of working hard.
The camp gives out a Dog Award each year to the camper who has the most hustle and most heart. Those two traits helped Rogers get to this point, she said, and she wants the campers to realize that it can help them get to where they want to go, whether it’s learning the basic of the game or trying to play college basketball.
“I really hope that this year the people we give that award to, others realize how important those characteristics are,” she said.