Louisville Basketball: Top 15 Players of 2000’s, 11-8
By Jacob Lane
#10 – Terry Rozier (2014-2015)
Career stats: 12.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.5 spg
Terry Rozier’s story at Louisville is very similar to Donovan Mitchell, actually Mitchell would follow in the footsteps of the player soon to be known as Scary Terry. Rozier came in as a highly touted recruit out of prep school, who fans were excited to see put on the red and black.
In his freshman season, Rozier was tasked with helping to replace the production of championship guard Peyton Siva, and provide depth off the bench behind Russ Smith. Rozier only played about 18 minutes per game, averaging just 7 points, but was still a nice role player for Rick Pitino and the Cards. That team went on to win the AAC Championship in their only season in the league, and would advance to the sweet 16 where they fell to Kentucky.
His sophomore season is where Terry Rozier emerged as one of the best players in the entire country. In the Cards first season in the ACC, Rozier became the go-to scorer, playing alongside Chris Jones and Montrezl Harrell. Rozier was lethal from just about anywhere on the floor, and his ability to get to the rim was nearly unstoppable. During that season Rozier scored 20 or more points 12 times, including 32 in a game at Western Kentucky, where he was absolutely on fire.
Rozier led the Cards to the elite eight that season, as they fell just one free throw short of beating Michigan State and advancing to their third final four in four years. One of his most memorable performances as a Cardinal came in the nail biting sweet 16 matchup against conference foe NC State, where Rozier finished the game with 17 points and an incredible 14 rebounds.
His ability to score was overshadowed in my opinion, and still his impact isn’t talked about enough. Plus, have you ever seen my man chew gum? He’s elite and that alone is worth putting him at 10.