September 24, 2020
HARRIMAN, Tenn. – Roane State basketball player Elijah Cobb recently participated in the 2020 All-American JUCO Showcase. The invitation only event in Atlanta, Georgia, featured 200 of the nation’s top rising sophomores in junior college basketball. The prospects competed against one another in the same gym, with each player getting to play in at least four games. Along with exposure to college coaches and NBA scouts, the showcase also attracted attention from national media such as ESPN, NBC Sports, CBS Sports and others.
Cobb said participating in the event was an honor. “It was really exciting – really a blessing – to be invited to one of those type of things.” The Murfreesboro (Riverdale High School) native noted, “I feel like I worked really hard last year before the knee injury, so to be there was really a blessing.”
He said the experience was “pretty fun,” adding “there were a lot of good players that competed. It is very fun to play with all that type of talent.”
As a freshman for the Raiders in 2019-20, Cobb averaged 14.5 points per game, which was 10th best in the conference. His 69 blocked shots ranked him top in the conference and 12th in the nation. He had other top ten conference rankings in field goal percentage (7th), 3-point field goal percentage (5th), defensive rebounds (9th) and rebounds per game (7th).
The showcase games on August 15-16 marked Cobb’s return to the hardwood following his season-ending knee injury just prior to the conference tournament. Cobb says over the summer, he played in “a couple of five-on-fives, but it wasn’t as competitive as this was.” He added, “It was very good to get back into that type of situation where everyone was so competitive.”
Raiders head basketball coach Randy Nesbit said, “We have had a number of players attend the highly selective showcase, but nobody who has had more recruiting attention going in.”
Nesbit also stated, “His development from questionable D1 prospect out of high school to receiving major attention is a testament to his focus and character on top of his God-given abilities.”
In the end, Cobb says, “It was a great experience. I did my thing. I played hard.”
Roane State Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity or national origin, sex, disability, age, status as protected veteran or any other class protected by Federal or State laws and regulation and by Tennessee board of Regents policies with respect to employment, programs, and activities. View full non-discrimination policy.
