Roland is a former basketball player who had a standout high school career at Peoria High School, where he helped lead the team to a championship in 1977. He continued his basketball journey at Burlington Junior College in Iowa, where his team finished 8th in the NJCAA Nationals during the 1978-1979 season. Roland then played at Santa Clara University from 1979 to 1980, alongside NBA legend Kurt Rambis, before transferring to Western New Mexico University in Silver City for the 1984-1985 season.