MORAGA >> Engulfed in a playing career overseas that spanned nearly two decades on the hardwood, coaching basketball was never really on EJ Rowland’s radar.
Even at 41, Rowland had suitors in France chasing his services, contracts on the table with at least two professional basketball organizations in Europe.
Yet, as Rowland’s career began to wind down and he found himself playing with players half his age, he began to see himself as not only a role model, but a coach on the court.
“With the age gap and experience, I became more of a hands-on player, helping get points across to the players,” Rowland said. “I wanted individual goals to line up with our team goals.”
So when the former Palma product decided 19 professional seasons was enough, a spirited talk with St. Mary’s coach Randy Bennett convinced him to join his staff as an assistant coach.
“I can still play today,” Rowland insisted. “I had offers. I just felt it was time. I feel fulfilled as a player. I’m walking into a great situation.”
It will be a reunion of sorts for Rowland, as he returns to a campus he grew fond of as a player at St. Mary’s in Moraga, as well reuniting with Bennett, his college coach.
“It’s a unique situation that my college coach is still active at the same spot,” Rowland said. “We have always stayed in touch. I told him this might be my last year. He had an opening.”
The hesitation of committing for Rowland stemmed from having retirement thoughts in the past, only to return when receiving an offer he couldn’t refuse.
In fact, the 6-foot-2 point guard was coaxed into signing late last season for a team in France, where he became a teammate of 2024 Atlanta Hawks top pick Zaccharie Risacher.
“There were other paths I could have gone down,” Rowland said. “I considered a position in the NBA. Coach Bennett made an offer. I talked to my wife. St. Mary’s checked so many boxes.”
After living in Madrid, Spain for the last six years, Rowland and his family have returned to the West Coast, where he begins a new era in his basketball life.
“We have a nice circle of friends in Madrid,” Rowland said. “My son was born there. I’m still catching the vibe here. But I’m in a familiar place at St. Mary’s. So it’s also home.”
Rowland will also be closer to his mother in Salinas, where he groomed his skills first at Palma, and later at Hartnell College, becoming an All-American in his one season.
“I was kind of a late bloomer,” said Rowland, who started for two years at Palma. “I grew late. I didn’t even play travel ball back then.”
Rowland’s career soared at St. Mary’s under Bennett, where as the team’s point guard, he helped lead them to the NCAA Tournament in 2005.
Undrafted, Rowland played in the NBA’s Summer League with the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks before taking his dream to Europe.
“Initially I told myself let’s make some money for a year and get back to the NBA,” Rowland said. “I didn’t understand how much money I could make, or how great the leagues were.”
Rowland began to see familiar faces, players he grew up watching such as Dominique Wilkins and Bryon Scott playing in Europe toward the end of their careers.
“I didn’t realize how many NBA players were finishing their careers in Europe,” Rowland said. “They didn’t disappear. Now look at the players in Europe being drafted.”
Had Rowland come around perhaps 10 years later, his path to the NBA likely would have had a different course, as the leagues in Europe are so much more respected by NBA executives.
In fact, the last two No. 1 overall selections in the NBA draft have come from France, with five European players chosen in the first 12 picks of the 2024 draft.
“A lot of times people didn’t know what I was doing in Europe,” Rowland said. “There were a bunch of international stars like Pau Gasol. Then there was EJ Rowland lumped in with them.”
Even as a 39-year-old playmaker in Poland in 2023, Rowland averaged a career high 7.9 assists, while dropping in 15.2 points a night.
“In looking through the lens of a player, I didn’t see myself coaching,” Rowland said. “The standard and what I expect, I didn’t think it was for me. But I became open to the thought as I got older.”
Rowland’s career included stints in Australia, Germany, Turkey, Israel, Spain, France, Russia, Italy, Poland and Latvian.
The VTB United League Most Valuable Player and scoring champion in 2013, Rowland was inducted into the Russian League’s Hall of Fame in 2019.
Rowland’s career – particularly in the postseason and in the Euro Cup, certainly warranted a shot at the NBA. Instead, he kept watching players he outperformed get drafted.
“Maybe my path would have been different with a little more understanding,” Rowland said. “It turned out OK. It’s part of my journey. I went out on my terms. I’m ready to embrace this next chapter.”
There are moments when Rowland feels like he’s turned back the clock with his return to St. Mary’s, particularly with his former coach still achieving milestones.
“It’s crazy at so many different levels,” Rowland said. “I can remember like it was yesterday when I came on campus, wanting to prove myself, the hunger to be good, to find my place.”
The hunger remains, but in a different capacity, as Rowland is now the teacher instead of the pupil to a bunch of 18 to 20 years.
“Now I want to help our players grow as young men,” Rowland said. “Achieve everything they desire both on and off the court. I want to provide a support system, yet at the same time hold them accountable. I’m someone who has been through it.”
The transition has been a smooth one for Rowland, who admits he gets the itch to suit up and test the waters, yet doesn’t miss the pain and physical therapy sessions.
“I get to listen, learn, be myself and naturally apply my thoughts as they come.” Rowland said. “Coach Bennett is allowing me to find myself as well. With this staff, I can defer to them as I learn. What’s a good college player? I haven’t been around in a while.”
Rowland’s return coincides with St. Mary’s celebrating its 20th anniversary team – which he played on – that made the NCAA tournament.
“The culture here is excellent,” Rowland said. “Coach Bennett recruits a certain type of character to where it’s easy to come to work. The energy is high. Guys want to be good. I can’t imagine something like this is everywhere.”
While it didn’t seem like it at the time, 19 years of playing professional basketball went by in a blink of an eye for Rowland.
“I feel like I remember everything like it was yesterday,” Rowland said. “In the day-do-day life, there was a lot that went into each season. But in looking back, it feels like a flash. All those memories are still clear.”
