Photo by: MICHAEL MACOR / The San Francisco Chronicle
MBB | SMC Mourns the Loss of Former Gael Great A.J. Rollins
5/15/2023 4:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Former Saint Mary's men's basketball standout A.J. Rollins passed away over the weekend after a long battle with cancer. He was 49 years of age.
Rollins was Bay Area through and through, graduating from Armijo High School in Fairfield before being recruited by Saint Mary's to play basketball. Once he arrived in Moraga, he blossomed into one of the best players the program had seen. He spent five seasons playing for the Gaels, appearing in 114 games and making 71 starts.
Rollins was 6-8 and one of the most effective power forwards in the game at the time, never having a field goal percentage below 52.1%. He also proved to be a solid rebounder, leading the 1993-94 Gaels in rebounds with 159. Three times in his career, he averaged over 10 points per game, including his sophomore season, where he averaged a career-best 12.0 points per game.
His career reached a pinnacle during his fifth season, as he helped lead the 1996-97 Gaels to the NCAA Tournament, the program's third-ever appearance in the Big Dance. Rollins played quite a role on that team, leading the way with a field goal percentage of 59.0% as the Gaels won the West Coast Conference championship to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They drew Wake Forrest in the opening round, a game famous for its battle of eventual NBA Hall of Famer Tim Duncan against "The Big Continent" Brad Millard.
When his collegiate career ended, Rollins was the 17th in the Gaels record book in scoring with 1,063 points. Actively, he still ranks tenth all-time in career field goal percentage at 55.6%, and holds the single-game record for most baskets made without a miss in a single game (January 9, 1997 at Portland – 11).
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to A.J. and his family. We will all greatly miss him in our lives," said head coach Randy Bennett. "Anyone who knew A.J. knows what a special person, dad, husband and friend he was."
"He was one of the greatest Gaels ever. No former player has cared more about this program. Not only did he care about this program, he took great pride in Saint Mary's College and all the friendships he developed along his journey."
Following his time as a Gael, he played internationally in Germany, Austria, and South Korea, most notably for the Goyang Orion Orions in 2002.
Rollins was Bay Area through and through, graduating from Armijo High School in Fairfield before being recruited by Saint Mary's to play basketball. Once he arrived in Moraga, he blossomed into one of the best players the program had seen. He spent five seasons playing for the Gaels, appearing in 114 games and making 71 starts.
Rollins was 6-8 and one of the most effective power forwards in the game at the time, never having a field goal percentage below 52.1%. He also proved to be a solid rebounder, leading the 1993-94 Gaels in rebounds with 159. Three times in his career, he averaged over 10 points per game, including his sophomore season, where he averaged a career-best 12.0 points per game.
His career reached a pinnacle during his fifth season, as he helped lead the 1996-97 Gaels to the NCAA Tournament, the program's third-ever appearance in the Big Dance. Rollins played quite a role on that team, leading the way with a field goal percentage of 59.0% as the Gaels won the West Coast Conference championship to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They drew Wake Forrest in the opening round, a game famous for its battle of eventual NBA Hall of Famer Tim Duncan against "The Big Continent" Brad Millard.
When his collegiate career ended, Rollins was the 17th in the Gaels record book in scoring with 1,063 points. Actively, he still ranks tenth all-time in career field goal percentage at 55.6%, and holds the single-game record for most baskets made without a miss in a single game (January 9, 1997 at Portland – 11).
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to A.J. and his family. We will all greatly miss him in our lives," said head coach Randy Bennett. "Anyone who knew A.J. knows what a special person, dad, husband and friend he was."
"He was one of the greatest Gaels ever. No former player has cared more about this program. Not only did he care about this program, he took great pride in Saint Mary's College and all the friendships he developed along his journey."
Following his time as a Gael, he played internationally in Germany, Austria, and South Korea, most notably for the Goyang Orion Orions in 2002.
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