Carmel's Roeser eclipses 1,000 in win over Schurz

A free throw, a timeout and a round of applause.

That's how Carmel senior forward Johnny Roeser hit, and then celebrated the 1,000-point mark of his career Tuesday night.

Roeser, who has been starting for the Corsairs since his freshman year, was 18 points away from the 1,000-point mark at the end of last season.

He was at 999 points when he was sent to the line in the fourth quarter of Carmel's season opener against Chicago Schurz in the Grant Thanksgiving Tournament.

Roeser missed the first free throw but hit the second to get 1,000 points on the nose and then a mention on the loud speaker by the Grant public address announcer as Carmel called timeout and Roeser waved graciously to the crowd. Roeser's mother was then given the game ball at the end of Carmel's 83-65 win over Schurz.

"I didn't even know about it (the milestone)," said a humbled Roeser, who finished with a game-high 21 points. "I just go out there and hoop. It was a really cool experience to score 1,000 points to be a part of the school's history. I'm blessed to have been a part of a lot of really good teams and players. This means a lot."

Roeser has meant a lot to the Corsairs for four years. Not only did he start as a freshman, he's been a captain since his sophomore year.

"We're just so proud of Johnny for all of his work and the kind of kid he is," Carmel coach Zack Ryan said. "He's so deserving of this. He's such a great model for our program, and he's a great leader.

"His development as a leader and as a person from when he came in to now has been great. Not many guys are three-year captains. He is loyal to his teammates and to his coaches and would do anything for a friend or any of these guys and that goes beyond him as a player.

"I think he's very underrated, but I think he's going to get some really good (college) looks this year."

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Roeser, who has put on a couple of inches and added 30 pounds since the first game he started as a freshman, says that he has no offers right now. But Ryan says that Roeser is generating a lot of interest.

"He's got a lot of schools interested in him, and it will come," Ryan said of Roeser's college prospects. "He doesn't make that a focus, he just wants to help us win. But I told him that if we win games, that (college offers) will take care of itself."

The wins will add up if the Schurz game is indicative of what Carmel can expect this season. Three players scored in double-figures and a total of 10 players scored.

Also in double-figures for the Corsairs were senior forward Damone Williams-Gray (18 points) and sophomore guard Kimahri Wilson (14 points).

"There are some high expectations for us this year. We just have to go out there and play every night," Roeser said. "We really want to go downstate. That's the big goal. We've just got to get one game at a time."

Carmel had a 3-point lead at the end of a barnburner first quarter, up 22-19. The Corsairs extended that lead to 17 points (49-32) by halftime and never looked back.

For Schurz, four players scored in double-figures, led by Elijah Clay with 15 points. Nakyel Shelton added 13 points while Kaevon Anderson and Kenya Milton each had 10 points.