Chris Rogers is proud of the memorial to his late son. Sydney Richelieu / The Forecaster
When a former Falmouth High School state basketball champion died from glioblastoma at age 28 last year, his family knew the perfect way to honor his legacy.
This fall, the Ryan Rogers Memorial Basketball Courts are up and running at Huston School Park.
A new sign for the park’s new courts. Contributed / Chris Rogers
The Rogers family led the effort to renovate and rename the park’s old basketball courts, where Ryan spent countless hours playing in high school. But the community made it happen, said his father, Chris Rogers.
The idea for the project came about not only because of Ryan’s love of basketball but also because he was always the one organizing games.
“Ryan was a really good basketball player, but he was never exclusive,” Rogers said. “That’s something that I think really defined him and the spirit of this court. It wasn’t cherry picking all the best players. It was like, we’re gonna have kids come over, have fun, and just play.”
It was this spirit that Rogers believes inspired the Falmouth Town Council to unanimously approve of the court’s renovation and renaming in 2021.
“That’s what got the ball rolling, but that’s the spirit of this,” Rogers said. “Every time I drive by and see kids playing on the court, I’m like, Ry’s gotta be smiling. He’s gotta be loving watching kids playing and enjoying this.”
The project included new hoops and court resurfacing.
It was easy to get the town and its residents on board with the project, said Lucky D’Ascanio, director of Falmouth Parks and Community programs.
The renovated basketball courts. Contributed / Chris Rogers
“The overwhelming support of the community coupled with Ryan’s remarkable legacy made it very easy for the council to get behind this project,” D’Ascanio said.
The Rogers family was prepared to pay for the project themselves, but outreach from the community drove the renovations. The Falmouth Youth Basketball Association started a GoFundMe, and 260 people donated over $50,000 for the project. All Pro Striping & Sealcoating, based in Windham, donated services.
Rogers emphasized how healing it was for his family to see the Falmouth community come together and rally behind their cause.
“When you go through something like this, you’re looking for everything you can to kind of heal and put one foot in front of the other, and to see that level of support – it’s indescribable,” Rogers said.
The courts, pre-upgrades. Contributed / Chris Rogers
The family is full of gratitude for everyone involved, he said.
“Just thanking (Town Manager) Nathan Poore and Lucky D’Ascanio, I run out of adjectives for them,” Rogers said. “I run out of adjectives for the people that were donors, for the people from the town, for FYBA … they weren’t just going through the motions, they were in it with us.”
The Ryan Rogers Memorial Courts are open to the public, and Rogers believes they’ll get even more use now that they have been upgraded.
“It’s fun. We love coming by and seeing people playing, especially young kids. It’s enthusiasm, you know? It’s pretty cool,” Rogers said.
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