The numbers that symbolize the feats of great athletes are often numbing.

In 1955-’56, GW legend Joe Holup averaged 25 points and 23 rebounds. Forty-five years later, those Bunyanesque statistics are as easy to imagine as George Washington surveying on the Quad. Yet, no numbers may ever inspire as much awe as these: 5 feet, 4 inches.

In the last full GW men’s basketball season of the 20th century, one name rose above the 500-plus that have worn the Buff and Blue. When the short list of GW’s greatest is recounted, it will include names such as Holup and Mike Brown, and now one other. He is Shawnta to his admirers, “Nut” to his friends.

And despite all his past glory, when the NBA draft arrives at the MCI Center, to 29 NBA teams he will once again just be Shawnta Rogers, guard.

Any career choice has few guarantees, and like his fellow graduates, Rogers’ hardest work is still ahead of him. Last week, Rogers and teammate Yegor Mescheriakov participated, along with 38 other NBA hopefuls, in the Nike Desert Classic. In the final game, Rogers scored 18 points. He also asserted himself on defense, contesting every inch of the court. Still, there will be no certainties come draft day.

“Whatever happens – wherever I can play at, I’m gonna play,” Rogers said. “It’s no thing. That’s just how things go. That’s why I couldn’t tell you where I’m gonna get drafted, or if I’m gonna get drafted, `cause the draft – you never know.

“I heard I was gonna get drafted, but I’m just playing basketball. I ain’t even worrying about it. Let that come later . To me, I know I deserved it. I know – the guys coming out – I’m right there with them. In my head, I think I belong there. They go year by year and from what the year I had . “

It was quite a year. Rogers produced maybe the greatest individual season in GW history and catapulted himself to an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American. He was featured in the pages of USA Today, Sports Illustrated and on ESPN. He led the nation in steals (no Colonial had led a national category since Holup). In leading the Atlantic 10 in scoring (20.1), assists (6.92), steals (3.65) and free-throw percentage (85.2%), he became Atlantic 10 Player of the Year.

He is GW’s fifth all-time leading scorer and holds season and career records in many categories, but most notably in steals and assists. He amazed again and again this year in ways that no numbers could symbolize. But his greatest moments may have come as a game-winner, hitting shots at the buzzer to beat Old Dominion University, La Salle and Xavier.

Rogers came to Foggy Bottom midway through the 1995-’96 season. In his second game, he made two free throws with 1.2 seconds left to send a game with the University of Idaho to overtime. He scored nine points in the second overtime to secure the 84-83 win. Despite the great start, he spent his three seasons in the Mike Jarvis system deferring to the big men such as Mescheriakov and 7-1 center Alexander Koul.

Then Tom Penders came to town. Soon people like Dick Vitale and Red Auerbach were predicting for Rogers what had previously been unthinkable – an NBA career.

“Penders worked out for me – for my style of play – the best,” Rogers said. “He let me play basketball. He let me play the way I wanted to play . You know, if I can bring my stats up in every category, of course, you know I’m gonna want Penders.”

Rogers’ success under Penders makes one wonder what he could have accomplished at GW if he had played four years of Penders-ball.

“If I would have had Penders here, I would have been No. 1 on the scoring list, No. 1 on everything, I think, if he was here from the start,” Rogers said. “As far as being the best ever at GW, you’d like to think that, and believe it. I could have been a better player, I think, if I had had Penders for all four years. Then, maybe you could have said that, but I know some guy, Joe somebody, that’s up there in every category and I would say, from looking at the stats and everything, that he was one of the best.”

Although Jarvis coached Rogers in his first three years, it’s obvious who he considers his mentor now.

“(Penders) is always going to be involved in everything I do,” Rogers said. “Everything I do, I’m gonna come to him for advice, and he’s just going to always be around – always going to be a guy that I can go. Jarvis, I talk to him here and there in spurts. Just say, `Hi, how you doing,’ and everything like that. Jarvis is a good guy, too. He’s a nice guy. We still won with Jarvis, but he coached this team the way he felt the personnel was for this team. But different coaches got different styles and that was what the situation was.”

Now that the possibility of the NBA looms, Rogers is eager to represent GW. Rogers helped to recruit local signees such as Val Brown, just as Baltimore native and former GW star Kwame Evans factored into Rogers’ recruitment.

“I’m here. This is my school,” Rogers said. “This is where I’m from – GW. Every time I step on the court, I’m a Colonial. Of course, I want to represent my school. I’ll get my degree from GW, of course, I’m always gonna follow them. I’m always gonna be here supporting, trying to get guys to come here.”

Rogers’ favorite basketball memory is, of course, the thrilling Feb. 27 win over Xavier, but he also leaves with fond memories of GW and the friends he’s made.

“It’s a good place,” Rogers said. “I’m comfortable with everyone around me. You just got good people here. I don’t have any regrets. Everybody around me, they ain’t just my teammates, they’re friends, too. Even though they’re from different cultures, that’s the good thing about it. I’ve got friends all over. I think everybody gets along. When you play basketball, you’re gonna have ups and downs. Me, Mike (King) and Pat (Ngongba), you know – we’re real close. All of us were in the same room my junior year.”

Now, Rogers leaves with a whole new family to add to his own, which includes his son Terrell. He describes his relationship with Terrell’s mother as “real tight,” and he doesn’t worry about the NBA taking him away from them.

“They’re always gonna be there,” Rogers said. “Wherever I’m at, they’re gonna be there.”

As for the future of the program, Rogers is confident Penders will continue to win.

“Like I said, Coach Penders is probably the best coach I had,” Rogers said. “I know he’s gonna get players. He’s the type that wants to win. He’s gonna get the right players to come.”

Unfortunately for Penders, he just lost the most “right” player this school may have ever had. Rogers meant his teammates when he said that he had friends all over. But he has already ensured that he will always have friends anywhere a GW fan calls home. And in Foggy Bottom, for sure, Shawnta Darnell Rogers will always be remembered – even if only as a legend.

Notes:

– In the last two weeks, www.insidersreport.com has reported that freshman Andry Sola has been granted an official transfer, and he has already made an official visit to Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. GW Sports Information has released no official statement about the report. GW has given no official word on the future of junior Roey Eyal, who has been rumored to be leaving for Israel.

– Also, The Washington Post reported that two recruits who made official visits to Foggy Bottom last weekend are prepared to commit to GW: Jamal Brown, the 1997-’98 Baltimore Sun Player of the Year, and junior college player Bernard Barrows. These two would join previous signees Val Brown and Chris Monroe. The NCAA prohibits the University from commenting on unsigned players.