Roger Gay graduated in the class of 1984. He was a stand-out performer as a scorer and defender for some excellent Cave City teams in the early1980’s. Starring on the Junior team his ninth grade year, the team won conference and district with a 27-2 record. His 3 high school years, the team combined for 76 wins. He was named All-Conference his Junior and Senior seasons on those teams. Local matchups with Highland, Southside and other county schools carried as much weight as regional conference games and Roger played his best in those rivalries. He led the team in scoring both years and his defensive quickness was stellar. Most memories of Roger from fans from those years revolve around his leaping ability and his jump shot that looked like he bounced off a trampoline. Roger’s individual career was marked with a two year stint at Southern Baptist College where he earned all conference his sophomore season. He played his final two years in Siloam Springs for John Brown University where he was all conference in the Sooner Conference again his senior year. Teammates remember him as a leader and tough competitor. It is hard to measure competitiveness and toughness, but it was always obvious that Roger earned his teammates respect in high school and college as the leader on the court. Roger is one of only a handful of basketball athletes who have been blessed to be able to play four years of college basketball. Gay was one of the great athletes from the decade of the1980’s and a true leader and competitor.
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