Bella Rogers, daughter of FCC GKs coach, former WNBA star, hits international hoops stage

Bella Rogers grew up on playing fields.

From the basketball court to the soccer pitch to almost any other surface, she was always playing sports. 

But after Bella, the daughter of FC Cincinnati's Director of Goalkeeping, Paul Rogers, and former WNBA player, Lisa Harrison-Rogers, suffered a patella injury playing soccer and basketball, she was stuck on the sidelines for her freshman year of high school. 

“When I went to the doctor and I found out that I wouldn't be playing for a minimum of eight months, it really just put a pause on, really, my world,” Bella said.

But since returning from injury, Bella, a junior who attends Loveland High School, has narrowed her focus to basketball. With increased concentration, she has made strides, kicking off her international career, joining the Great Britain U16 national team for the FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket.

Bella has also picked up collegiate offers from Dartmouth, Marshall and Sacramento State.

Choosing basketball over soccer

Despite playing many sports growing up, Bella focused on soccer and basketball ‒ sports her parents had ties to ‒ by high school.

Bella’s dad, Paul, always thought about soccer when he thought about his daughter playing an international sport. Bella competed in U.S. Soccer talent identification camps and thrived as a freshman center back for Mount Notre Dame High School. 

Bella’s mother, Lisa, was the Naismith Prep Player of the Year and Gatorade National Player of the Year in 1989 in basketball while playing at Southern High School in Louisville. Lisa also won a national championship at Tennessee before playing in the WNBA for the Phoenix Mercury. 

Despite Lisa’s experience, she said it was more stressful for her to watch Bella play basketball because she knew more about the sport. She also did not want Bella to have the pressure of replicating her success, wanting her daughter to pave her own path instead. 

It was up to Bella to decide which sport would prevail.

While wearing a brace during her time of injury, Bella said she still traveled with her AAU basketball team, Sports City Angels. Subconsciously, her focus was shifting.

While she couldn’t play, Bella said she would still get shots up while sitting down. She was eager to get back in the gym to develop her strength.

And once she returned, she said she found it easier to return to form on the basketball court.

“When I was not able to play, I just started enjoying (basketball) more,” Bella said. “And then when I got back into soccer, I kind of lost my passion for it.”

Bella’s parents said it didn’t matter to them which sport she played. Paul said he always just wanted her to pursue a passion, noting Bella’s prowess in violin playing.

The parents said they avoided coaching Bella because of the potential for friction. But if Bella asked a question, they were available for help. 

“It might be, too, because she's played soccer for so long, and it's been her No. 1 sport for so long,” Lisa said. “In basketball, I feel like it was probably just a little bit newer and something different.”

Bella gains notice in high school basketball

In her sophomore year at Loveland, Bella averaged over 8 points and eight rebounds a game. Because of her near double-double averages, The Enquirer touted her as a breakout star in December 2024.

Being able to concentrate on basketball helped reduce some of the stress for Bella. She said she was told that she immediately appeared more focused in her first AAU game after she stopped playing soccer. She has also focused more on athletic training and gym work with the extra time.

It wasn’t long before Bella got college offers. And potentially more soon.

“I talked to a lot of schools, and I don't have offers for them yet, but just knowing that they are interested in me and knowing that those are possibilities, it motivates you a lot to get better,” Bella said.

Meanwhile, Paul, who is from Brighton, England, said he reached out to Great Britain's basketball program when they were applying for Bella's passport to let them know his daughter would be available.

Great Britain U16 coach Donnie MacDonald said he first heard from Paul early in 2025. But at that time, Bella did not have a passport. So, the idea of her joining the youth national team was put on the back burner. 

But after Bella acquired her British passport, MacDonald revisited her case. 

As MacDonald watched Bella’s tape, he said he noticed a tenacious defender and quality rebounder. The team was not looking for much offensively, but he still liked that she could turn defensive moments into offensive production.

She could fit their scheme, MacDonald thought. 

“What we saw from Bella in our highlight videos was enough to get our attention, and it fit a need within our team,” MacDonald said. “So from that point onward, we started the conversation with her dad about getting more game tape.”

Around that time, Bella was in Chicago for the Nike Girls EYBL Nationals. But straight from Chicago, Bella flew overseas by herself for the first time in her life.

Bella wasn’t even guaranteed to make the U16 roster. She had to make the cut.

“We invited Bella to come out to one of our camps with no promises,” MacDonald said. “We said, ‘This might just be a trial opportunity for you, but if it goes well, there's an opportunity that you could actually be included in our squad for the summer.’”

Great Britain wasn't comfortable at first

It wasn’t easy early on.

“I got over kind of early, and so I guess that's when I started to think, like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” Bella said. “Like, I'm in a whole different country. How long are we gonna be over here?”

But as other players began to trickle in and Bella hit the court, she grew more comfortable. Despite the initial challenges of adjusting to the European game, at the end of the day, it was still basketball.

Bella, who was born in Tallahassee, Florida, but spent time in different cities before moving to Cincinnati in 2022, also leaned on her experience in diverse environments as she competed in St. Albans, England.

Bella said she learned how to be fearless and be herself in new situations. Meanwhile, she was in the process of adding another layer to her background overseas.

“The skills that I've picked up over the past couple of years, being able to talk to people, being social (and) not being afraid to be myself, it's really helped me in a lot of instances," Bella said. "Especially here, because it's weird because I'm the foreign one, because everyone else is European, and I'm the American."

Paul expected her to thrive.

“She's been exposed to dealing with stuff,” Paul said. "She's not your typical kid that lives in a bubble.”

MacDonald said Bella was quiet for the first few days, and perhaps a bit overwhelmed. But she quickly came out of her shell. He said her maturity has shown throughout the experience, and she appears to have leadership potential on the squad. 

MacDonald said Bella knew how to engage with her teammates and led by example. He said she displayed top-level effort on the court. 

“Her maturity has shown through,” MacDonald said. “You (would) never know she's so far away from home, and she just gets on with it in a very professional way.” 

MacDonald said Bella adapted well against some of Great Britain’s early opponents in Croatia and Hungary. He said Bella’s defense fit with how they want to play, which he said is not the case with every American player.

In Europe, MacDonald said players push into passing lanes and extend defense to the full court more, which takes confidence for a player who might not be used to this. He noted that Bella’s background as a center back in soccer has developed her spatial awareness to deflect or intercept passes. 

“She wants to play aggressive defense, and she brings a lot of those you can see; she's a multi-sport athlete,” MacDonald said. “She reads space well, she reads situations well (and) understands where to be and how to go steal the ball.”

Bella wants to expand her game

At a higher level, MacDonald said Bella, entering her junior season, projects as a small forward because of her being about 6-foot-1. He said they want to work on her perimeter game to prepare her for the future.

MacDonald added that the youth national teams are designed to identify talents who might be able to contribute to the senior team one day.

Bella’s expanding perimeter game could improve her skillset for the upper ranks. Still, MacDonald noted that they are excited about her natural rebounding ability.

“She looked like a really strong rebounder, which turns out she is, and she takes pride in that side of her game, and that was an area that we were lacking within our team," MacDonald said.

Carlton Gray, who coaches at Winton Woods High School and works with Bella, said Bella’s rebounding puts her in good positions. She can convert rebounds to easy baskets, and he said she is working on her balance to finish more putback challenges. He also said Bella is difficult to box out, a skill many players lack.

Gray, who works with Bella mainly on offensive skills, said she is continuing to polish her footwork and work on her game. He said she wants to extend her range as she continues to develop and become more versatile. 

But at the end of the day, he said, Bella has the intangibles.

“She works in a way that lets you know she truly wants to be great,” Gray said. “Her intensity and her effort, that's one thing that you never have to coach up with her."

MacDonald also mentioned how Great Britain’s youth national teams can be a pathway to major international competitions, potentially even the Olympic Games.

He said qualifying for the Olympics is difficult, but there is also three-on-three basketball, which offers less dominant nations a greater opportunity for success.

MacDonald said Bella’s game could fit three-on-three basketball because she has a high motor and solid shooting ability. He said the key to a quality three-on-three player is positional versatility defensively due to the high frequency of defensive switches.

The lowest age group for Great Britain’s three-on-three teams is the U-23s, so Bella is still a ways away from consideration. But Bella said she would be open to playing that format should the opportunity arise. 

“From that perspective, it might be that she can help with our three-x-three programs in the future, but, at this point in time, our first age group for three-x-three is U23 so we focus on the five-v-five version of the game to develop the skill set and develop the reads and understanding of the game,” MacDonald said. 

Bella said she wants to use her overseas experience when she returns to the United States because few players have had such a background. She said her biggest takeaway from her time with Great Britain has been that there is always room to learn more.

By being exposed to a different environment and style of play, Bella said she has learned that there are many different ways to approach basketball. 

“Everyone doesn't have, like, I have knowledge and, yeah, like, that sort of thing that people just don't have, and I can use that to improve my team, help my teammates, and just keep it as like, a confidence booster.”

Bella is currently focused on helping Great Britain stay in EuroBasket Division A. In 2024, they were in Division B, but after progressing, the 2025 group must perform to maintain their position.

But eventually, she wants to continue up the ranks with a primary goal in mind.

“My goal was to obviously make every team as I go along, and be a part of this process (that) leads to the Olympics eventually," Bella said. "It's been going pretty smoothly, at least for me this year, that could be an achievable goal if I keep improving like the path that I am on.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bella Rogers joins Great Britain U16 national team for FIBA EuroBasket