The 1,000-point club at Gehlen Catholic got a little more crowded on Friday night. Carter DeRocher scored 22 points in Gehlen Catholic’s 79-66 win over Hinton and became the fifth member of Gehlen’s 1,000-point club. DeRocher says to be amongst an exclusive list like this one is a real honor.
If anyone knew DeRocher at a young age, they could see this success in basketball coming. The main sport for DeRocher growing up was basketball. The love for the game started early, and it has continued to grow ever since.
DeRocher puts a lot of work into his game. He estimates that, on average, he could spend at least 2 hours in a gym per day working on his game or simply enjoying the sport he loves. DeRocher says that for all that work to pay off with a reward like this makes all that time in the gym well worth it.
That love of the game bleeds into the comradery that DeRocher feels with his teammates. DeRocher says that his teammates make him better all the time.
DeRocher’s head coach, Mike Langel, has been around the block a few times in the sport of basketball. This allows Coach Langel to be honest with DeRocher about his game. DeRocher says that that helps tremendously.
Another influential basketball figure in DeRocher’s life has been his father, Adam. Adam DeRocher played basketball at Gehlen Catholic until his graduation in 1996. Now, the bragging rights in the DeRocher household lie with Carter who not only has the honors to back him up, but he also says his game can back him up.
Ultimately, this achievement is great for DeRocher, but he knows that the greater goal is still to come. The Jays are trying to do what no Gehlen team has done since 1983: make a state tournament. That moment for DeRocher and team would be the king of them all.
DeRocher joins the 1,000-point club with his teammate Keaten Bonderson. They are now part of an illustrious list of Gehlen Catholic basketball players that features Neil Rohe, Russ Wittkop, and Ryan Stoll. DeRocher’s career point total after Friday’s win is 1,011 career points.
