Without a doubt, Zack Rollins is one of the most talented basketball players to ever graduate from Pelham Memorial High School. A member of the PMHS class of 2015, he went to San Bernardino Valley College for two years and transferred to Montana State University, where he was named honorable mention for the All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference. As well as an honorable mention in his senior year, he also earned GNAC player of the week.

After graduating from MSU, he moved on to play in the G-League, the NBA’s elite minor league, for the Agua Caliente Clippers. From his time at Montana State to general practice, Rollins’ preparation for entering the NBA G-League came naturally.

“Preparing for the G League has been something I’ve been doing for a long time without really knowing it,” said Rollins. “For me, it’s been about putting in the time in the gym, focusing on my shot as much as I can and still focusing on other aspects of my game like passing, dribbling and defense. At the end of the day, it was about me putting in hours in the gym putting in the reps and building confidence in what I can do.”

In addition to the skills building it provided, Rollins’ said that his time playing in college was a great experience as a whole.

“I made a bunch of lifelong friends, and built so many relationships with coaches, teammates and even players that I competed against,” said Rollins. “I was able to pick up on things about the game that I never knew, and it gave me a platform to continuously get better.”

Rollins also had positive words for his hometown. “Pelham was great for me. I met a lot of great people in my time there. I was basically raised here, since I moved here going into seventh grade and went to PMHS for all four years of high school.”

When asked about his decision to transfer schools, Rollins said he did not regret the move. 

“I think transferring schools was a great decision for me because both of my experiences were so unique,” said Rollins. “My first school, San Bernardino Valley College, really was when I think I experienced the biggest growth in myself as a player. I was in a new environment where I was forced out of my comfort zone as a player. It was extremely difficult at times, but I’m really thankful that I was able to go through that. My time at Montana State Billings was very different, because of what I went through at my previous school. I wouldn’t say it was easy, but I was prepared for anything that I went through, and I was able to really perform at a high level because of my work I put into basketball.”

Rollins was optimistic about his career prospects: “The way I see it right now, my career is headed in an upward trajectory. For me I’m just now starting out, and I’m kind of at the bottom of everything, so no matter what I do, as long as I keep working at it, I’ll be moving forward.”