June 2, 2004

NEW ORLEANS, La. - Tulane University has signed Taylor Rochestie to a National Letter of Intent to join the Green Wave men's basketball program for 2004-05, head coach Shawn Finney announced on Wednesday.

Rochestie [pronounced raw-CHEST-ee] is a six-foot point guard from Santa Barbara, Calif., who earned Santa Barbara County Player of the Year honors as a senior at Santa Barbara High School.

"We definitely had a need to add a point guard," Finney said. "And Taylor is a very heady player who knows the game. He knows how to run a team and direct the offense while also knowing when to look for his own shot."

Rochestie averaged 22.3 points, 5.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game last season and also shared Player of the Year honors for his league. He led the Dons to a 25-5 record and the state semifinals as a junior in 2003, however, with the team hit heavily by graduation, his squad was picked last in the league in preseason polls. Rochestie responded by leading the Dons to a 22-5 record and the second round of the state tournament.

"Taylor did everything for us; he was our point guard and he made everybody on the floor better," Santa Barbara head coach Jeff Lavender said. "We lost everybody from the year before and he carried an inexperienced team. I think Taylor is amazing skill-wise, but he also really knows the game and brings leadership and savvy."

Rochestie closed his high school career with 1,381 points, the all-time leading scorer at Santa Barbara High, which has had three players advance to the NBA, including Keith (Jamal) Wilkes. He is also the school's single-season and career three-point record-holder.

"Taylor had a great senior season," Finney said. "And he played in some spring AAU tournaments and really opened some eyes around the country. We are very fortunate to sign him."

Preparing for his fifth year as the head coach of the Green Wave, Finney and his staff have added a total of five players for the upcoming season. In addition to Rochestie, the Wave signed three 6-8 players and a 6-5 shooter.

2004-05 Tulane Men's Basketball Signees
Name (Pos., Ht., Wt., Hometown/High School)
David Gomez (F/C, 6-8, 235, Baton Rouge, La./Episcopal)
Robinson Louisme (F/C, 6-8, 262, Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers)
Taylor Rochestie (G, 6-0, 175, Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara)
Donnie Stith (F, 6-8, 215, Virginia Beach, Va./Salem)
Matt Wheaton (G/F, 6-5, 190, Houston, Texas/Mayde Creek)

The Green Wave is tentatively scheduled to open the 2004-05 season at LSU with an intrastate tournament featuring the Tigers, UL-Lafayette and Louisiana Tech.