Magnum Rolle

They eventually settled on the Laurinburg Institute, a small school in North Carolina founded in 1904.

Magnum Rolle (born February 23, 1986) is a Bahamian former professional basketball player who last played for the Nakhon Pathom Mad Goat of the Thailand Basketball League.

Born in Freeport, Bahamas, Rolle did not play basketball until his freshman year of high school and was taught by his coach at St. George's High School, Darrel Sears.

After his senior year at St. George's, Rolle transferred to the Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina, where he was an integral part in leading the team to an undefeated record and the national prep school championship.

He was considered a five-star prospect out of Laurinburg, and committed to play at Louisiana State University (LSU).

Rolle came off the bench on a team that reached the Final Four in his freshman campaign.

Rolle was born on February 23, 1986, in Freeport, Bahamas.

His mother is Maryse Rolle, a painter, and he has one sibling.

He was named after Tom Selleck's TV show Magnum, P.I. He can trace his ancestry to freed slaves and is a distant cousin of National Football League (NFL) players Myron, Antrel, and Samari Rolle.

Originally a soccer player, Rolle did not play basketball until he was 15, when local coach Darrel Sears saw him walking across a basketball court and saw Rolle's great height.

Sears asked if he knew how to play; Rolle said no. Sears asked him to try shooting from the foul line.

His first shot, according to Rolle, completely missed the backboard and fell into the bushes behind it.

At the time Rolle was not interested in the game and only attended Sears' practices because free fried chicken was provided.

At St. George's High School in Freeport, Rolle quickly developed his basketball skills and also competed in track and field events.

He averaged 20.3 points and 13.6 rebounds per game while enrolled at that school.

Rolle first dreamed of playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) when he was 16 years old, after he came back from a basketball camp in Arkansas, but had some academic issues to work out.

Rolle's grade point average (GPA) was 1.0 early in his career at St. George's, forcing him to repeat ninth grade.

Due to a drive to succeed academically and athletically, he eventually raised his GPA to 3.0.

Due to an unrepaired leak, the school's gymnasium was condemned in 1997, and the basketball team was forced to play home games as far as 30 mi away.

In Rolle's only year at the institute, his team went 40–0 and won the national prep school championship.

Under head coach Chris Chaney, Rolle recorded a per-game average of 10.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.5 blocked shots and had a field goal and free throw percentage of 64 percent and 76 percent, respectively.

Rolle also played with the Arkansas Wings on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit while at the Laurinburg Institute.

He received scholarship offers from Arizona, Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU, and North Carolina.

In 2003, following his senior year at St. George's, Rolle attended the Nike All-America Camp and convinced his mother to let him attend a preparatory school in the United States, where he could showcase his abilities and hone his talents.

After verbally committing to Florida State in March 2004, Rolle reopened his recruitment in July.

He decided on LSU, to which fellow Laurinburg teammate Chris Johnson had already committed, and signed his letter of intent on November 18, 2004.

Rolle was listed as the eighth-best power forward in the class of 2005 and 32nd overall recruit by Rivals.com.

On November 18, 2005, in an 84–56 defeat of Southern University, Rolle made his collegiate debut, playing 14 minutes and scoring six points while also grabbing three rebounds.

Rolle shot 4-of-8 from the field and contributed season bests in rebounds (10) and points (8) to help lead LSU past Nicholls State.

During the 2005–06 season, Rolle averaged 2.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 8.7 minutes per game as a freshman, picking up 21 blocks on the year.

He equaled his season high in points against the Vanderbilt Commodores on February 2, 2006, in only nine minutes of playing time.

The Tigers surprised many with a Final Four run, and in that game Rolle led the team in rebounds with eight, recorded two points from 1-of-1 shooting, and blocked a shot, all in 14 minutes of playing time.

Despite this performance, LSU's opponent UCLA ultimately prevailed, 59–45.

Coming into the 2006–07 season, the Tigers returned four starters, including Glen "Big Baby" Davis, and LSU fans hoped that Rolle would replace the shot blocking skills of Tyrus Thomas, who had left early for the NBA.

After his sophomore year, he transferred to Louisiana Tech in 2007 and was forced to skip the 2007–08 season as a redshirt.

While a junior, Rolle tripled his points-per-game average from 4.0 to 12.2.

He was named to the All-WAC (Western Athletic Conference) Defensive Team and All-WAC Newcomer Team.

In his senior year, he led the WAC in blocks and finished fourth in career blocked shots at Louisiana Tech despite playing only two seasons.

He was drafted with the 51st overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder and was subsequently traded to the Indiana Pacers.

Rolle was waived by the Pacers on October 25, at the end of training camp and was later chosen with the third overall pick in 2010 NBA Development League Draft by the Maine Red Claws.