To that point, the senior-to-be at Jamestown High School was not really on many college’s radar, but Jamestown native Bryan Hodgson, then a second-year assistant with the Bulls under head coach Nate Oats, walked over to check out the team from his high school alma mater.

Hodgson’s expectations weren’t very high. After all, the Jamestown squad was playing a highly thought of group, led by Josh Baker, who was then the head coach at Michigan power Southfield Christian High School.

“I’m thinking, at best, he’s a low Division I kid,” said Hodgson, who is now in his second year as an assistant under Oats at the University of Alabama..

After Rojas poured in 35 points and hit six or seven 3-pointers that day at Alumni Arena, Hodgson changed his mind.

Bryan Hodgson, a Jamestown High School graduate, is an assistant basketball coach at the University of Alabama. He first began recruiting James Rojas when he saw the JHS standout at a team camp at the University of Buffalo in 2016. Photo courtesy of the University of Alabama

“He came in and played his butt off in front of our whole staff,” Hodgson said. “Nate came to me and said, ‘We need to recruit him.'”

That’s precisely what Hodgson did, beginning Rojas’ hoops odyssey that has taken him from JHS where he scored 1,190 points during a star-studded career; to Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College where he was an NJCAA Division I first-team All-American; to now, the University of Alabama in the Southeastern Conference where Oats is the head coach and Hodgson is an assistant.

“He’s going to contribute in a major way,” Hodgson said.

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It’s early evening and Rojas is on his cellphone from an apartment he shares with his girlfriend, Jaycee, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, answering questions from a sportswriter. As he talks, their 9-month-old son, Zayden, can be heard in the background.

Alabama assistant coach Bryan Hodgson said James Rojas will “contribute in a major way” this season. Photos courtesy of the University of Alabama

“He’s got a little hoop he likes to dunk on,” Rojas said with a laugh. “He gets shots up everyday.”

Like father, like son.

Rojas, the 6-foot-8, 215-pound junior forward, has been getting up shots, too. Redshirted last year after suffering a torn ACL prior to the start of last season, he was given the medical greenlight about six weeks ago for full participation. Needless to say he can’t wait for the 2020-21 campaign.

“It was hard,” he said of the injury, which he suffered last summer. ” … Some of the time, I was just bored of (the rehab), but I just kept going, because I had to get healthy and had to get cleared. I did a lot of work. I spent four hours a day doing physical therapy and strengthening just to get back.”

Asked, on a scale of 1 to 10, how his knee feels now, Rojas didn’t hesitate.

JAMES ROJAS

“Ten,” he said emphatically. “That’s my main goal right now, getting into basketball shape. Everything else is 100 percent.”

Last season — the first under Oats, who left UB after the spring of 2019 — Alabama finished 16-15 and 8-10 in conference play.

“He’s going to have a major impact,” said Hodgson, a Jamestown CC and SUNY Fredonia graduate. “He’s a major mismatch problem for other teams. We’ll play him at multiple positions. … Right now he’s shooting the crap out of the ball. His natural position is a stretch-four, but we can play him at a three. He brings a lot of toughness that we were lacking last year. Every time he steps out there, he goes 110 percent.”

Added Rojas: ” I can help the younger guys. The fact I’m 6-7 or 6-8 and can move as fast as a guard, I can guard a big and I can play (positions) one through five, I just feel I can do anything out there. I would say I’m one of the better shooters. It’s just getting reps up so I can get back to what I was. I can bring everything to the table offensively and defensively.”

Alabama returns four starters — three of them were named All-SEC performers — and features an offense that broke every 3-point record in program history last year, while also finishing fourth in the nation in tempo, and third nationally in scoring offense and 3-pointers made per game. Furthermore, Hodgson signed a recruiting class that is ranked in the top 10 in the country.

“It was stressful to be able to sign all six (players),” Hodgson said. “That was nice that I earned my paycheck at least.”

Rojas added: “We’ve got a tough team. … We’ve got the mindset that everybody wants to win and get each other’s name out there. We all just work hard every single day in practice. It’s just a family. We’re all super close. We just always push each other. … We’ve got a good thing going on there.”

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When Rojas was growing up, he would find his way to McElrath Gymnasium to get his hoops fix. He particularly liked the way Red Raider greats Carlos Rivera, Darin Butts, Jaysean Paige, Tommy Campion and Zack Panebianco played.

“We’ve had some really good talent,” Rojas said. “It was good watching that in middle school and wanting to be in that position.”

Years later, Rojas finds himself right where he wants to be, on and off the court.

“It’s good,” he said of being in Tuscaloosa. ” … They treat us good here.”

Rojas wants to return the favor.

“Honestly, I just want to win the SEC Tournament,” he said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to play in March Madness, get all that attention. It’s always been what I’ve wanted to do.”