Franklin Regional grad makes immediate impact at Washington & Jefferson

Cam Rowell knew he wanted to make a fast impact in the Presidents Athletic Conference.

An array of steals, fast-break layups and punctuation slam dunks later, the Washington & Jefferson freshman is a rookie of the year.

Rowell, a Franklin Regional graduate, capped his debut basketball season by winning the PAC Newcomer of the Year, a league-wide nod to his college-ready talents.

Last year’s TribLive Westmoreland player of the year, Rowell said the award signifies exactly what he wanted to bring to the NCAA Division III league.

To the team, it signifies acknowledgement of a player who gave the Presidents an instant jolt of energy.

“It was my goal coming in to make a big impact on the team, and there was no better way to do it then by winning newcomer of the year,” Rowell said. “I think this award shows truly how hard I’ve worked this season to transform my game to the college level. My physical and mental understanding of the game have just surpassed where I wanted it to be by the end of the season.”

Rowell, a 6-foot-4 guard, knew he made significant contributions as a freshman, but did not expect to win top newcomer. In other words, it was not a preset goal.

“I am just thankful to have won the award to say the least,” he said.

Rowell played in all 28 games for the Presidents (21-7), starting five of them, but mainly provided a spark as the sixth man.

W&J lost to Chatham, 81-69, in the PAC Championship.

Rowell averaged 10.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and his 60 steals were second on the team. As a finisher, like he was throughout his high school career, Rowell reached double figures in scoring 14 times, posting 21 points during the regular season against Bethany and 19 in a victory over Saint Vincent in the PAC semifinals.

There weren’t many freshmen in the country with a highlight reel of dunks like Rowell put together.

Adjusting to the speed of college basketball was not as challenging to Rowell because he plays the game fast.

“I was surprised for sure about how much faster college truly is than high school, but that’s just my style of play,” he said. “I like to get out and run in transition and play fast, so I felt like I fit in pretty well and pretty quick. It took me a couple games to warm up to it, but after I got the swing of it, there was no looking back.”

Rowell was the PAC Newcomer of the Week three times during the season.

A W&J player had not won newcomer of the year since Michael Bigley in 2021-22.

Some college players see their college team as a perfect match from the jump. Such is the case with Rowell, who helped lead Franklin Regional to runner-up finishes in the WPIAL and PIAA 5A playoffs last winter.

“I felt like as soon as I came into the program and into college basketball as a whole, I felt as if I immediately belonged with everyone around me pushing me to be great and just believing in myself to do what I can do,” he said.

With his role in place and a bright future in the program ahead, Rowell is anxious to get to next season where he can continue to build on the newfound chemistry.

“It makes things a lot easier when you have guys around you that can play as well,” Rowell said. “Everything about the way our team plays just fit me perfectly and gave me the confidence to go out there and go hard. Every single night, whether it was practice or a game, I was giving it my all.

“Everyone around me always supporting me pushing me to be the best and making me feel welcomed like family was an amazing way to have my freshman year, and I wouldn’t have wanted to end it any other way than with the newcomer of the year award.”