The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

FOLLOWING an injury-shortened final collegiate season, LJ Rose has shifted his sights to the professional ranks and had an opportunity to attend a pre-draft workout for one of the NBA's most storied franchises.

Rose participated in a workout for the Lakers last Friday at the training facility in El Segundo, California.

Following high-profile workouts featuring projected lottery picks Josh Jackson and Lonzo Ball last week and ahead of another lottery pick, De'Aaron Fox today, Rose worked out with a group of lower tier prospects projected as second round picks.

Rose's group included Sindarius Thornwell of South Carolina, Damyean Dotson of Houston, P.J. Dozier of South Carolina, Johnathan Motley of Baylor and Semi Ojeleye of SMU.

Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson and General Manager Rob Pelinka did not attend the workouts, however, Lakers head coach Luke Walton and his staff were in attendance.

The Lakers hold the No.2 and the No.28 pick in the first round of this year's draft, but do not have a second-round choice.

In recent years, the franchise has selected late first round and second round picks that have been pegged as building blocks of the future.

Jordan Clarkson was chosen as the 46th pick in the second round in 2014, followed by Larry Nance with the 27th pick in the first round in 2015 and Ivica Zubac as the 32nd pick in the second round last year.

Rose moved from one "Cougar" programme to another for the third stop of his NCAA basketball career when he transferred as a post-graduate from the University of Houston to BYU.

Following an injury-plagued senior season with the Houston Cougars, where he appeared in just two games, Rose looked to conclude his collegiate career on a strong note.

He started 25 games in his lone season with BYU and led the team with 4.5 assists per game to go along with 5.5 points and 4.6 rebounds. His season was cut short when he had surgery in February to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

Although he played sparingly as a senior in his final season in Houston, as a junior Rose averaged 9.8 points and 5.3 assists in a starting role when relatively healthy. In that season he became the 17th player in Houston history to register multiple seasons with at least 100 assists, dishing out 101 in 19 games.

He was named to the Las Vegas Class All-tournament team that season, and was an American Athletic Conference honour roll nominee in February 2013.

In his sophomore year, and first with the Houston programme, he averaged 8.9 points and 5.5 assists per game.

At the national level for Team Bahamas, Rose was the starting point guard for the Bahamas when they won gold at the 2014 Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championships. However, he suffered an injury in the opening game of the tournament and was relegated to the sidelines.

At 6'4" 195 pounds, and a true point guard with a pass-first mentality, Rose was the ninth-ranked point guard in the class of 2012 by ESPN.com coming out of Westbury Christian Academy. He chose Baylor over Arizona, Memphis and Georgetown.

In his freshman season with the Bears, he posted 0.9 points and 1.2 assists, in sparse playing time, prompting his transfer to Houston the following year where he gave the Cougars a strong Bahamian connection on the court with Rose, Mikhail McLean and Danrad Knowles.

Rose is the son of Lynden Sr and Marilyn Rose and comes from a strong basketball bloodline following the success of his father and his uncle, the late Cecil Rose.

Lynden Sr played collegiately at Houston, where he was a member of Phi Slama Jama, and was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the sixth round of the 1982 NBA Draft. He went on to play professionally in the CBA and Europe and, at the national level, he played for the Bahamas in the 1991 Pan American Games.

At Houston, Lynden Sr played alongside current BYU coach Dave Rose on the Phi Slama Jama squads at Houston from 1980-82.

LJ Rose is also the cousin of former BYU guard Archie Rose, who averaged 1.3 points and 0.3 assists per game in two seasons for the Cougars after transferring from Lee College.

Cecil Rose also played collegiately for Houston where he scored more than 1,200 points for the programme. He was selected in the 1978 Draft by the New Jersey Nets.

Cecil was a member of the famous "Miami Jackson Five" which included Mychal Thompson and played for the Bahamas at the 1977 Pan Am Games.