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From Handing Out Soup to Handing Out Assists
From Handing Out Soup to Handing Out Assists
John Mad Dog Churan
Published by John C.
03-18-2008
From Handing Out Soup to Handing Out Assists

CHANDLER (AZ) -- Two years ago I had the opportunity to interview Brian Roberts. At the time, we all wondered just how good he would be. Little did we know that he would end up in the Top 5 of UD all time scorers. He was an interesting kid back then and we have all watched him grow into a man. Every game now could be his last, so I'm sure that he will attack each one of those with a special ferver. Below is the article that appeared on UDPride on January 24, 2006.


When you recruit a star basketball player, the first words out of a coach's mouth is not, "So what kind of volunteer work have you done?" That wasn't the case with Brian Gregory either when he began his recruitment of Brian Roberts, but maybe it should have been. Being one to give of yourself is something that has to be one of the primary beliefs of a point guard.

You see, Roberts was not recruited primarily as a point guard even though he played one throughout high school. He was being recruited to score points for UD, not necessarily distribute the ball to his teammates to make them scorers. Yet, that is what he has become.

Being a basketball star in high school is one thing, but being one on the next level is far more difficult than one might imagine. It takes time and it takes effort. Brian Roberts was born into a family of basketball players. Both his elder sister and brother played collegiate basketball. Brian was a decade younger than both of his siblings, but that didn't stop him from trying to mix it up in the back yard.

"I would play with them in the back yard. I would just kind of get in the way and they would tell me to go back in the house because they were 12 and 10 years older than me."

This didn't stop Brian from wanting to be just like them, " When they weren't around I would try to do what they did, mimicking their moves."

As the last child to leave the nest, Brian found that his ability to play basketball was limited to the back yard until he reached middle school when his parents finally relented and allowed him to go down to the local park on his own. It was there that his skills began to sharpen. With the ability to play against bigger and older competition, he was forced to improve. Lose and you sit. Win and you play. It wasn't too tough of a decision.

Roberts continued to grow and improve on his game and as a sophomore became the starting point guard for his high school team. Already able to dunk the basketball, he immediately became an offensive weapon as he learned to play the position. That season he averaged 14.5 points, 5.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds.

It didn't take long for college recruiters to realize that he was going to be a player. Letters started making their way to the Roberts household, including one from the University of Dayton and Oliver Purnell. The attention continued to escalate his junior year as he averaged 19.5 points, 5.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds and took his team to the state semi finals. Even though they lost, his abilities were becoming well known among college coaches.

Roberts was still hearing from Dayton, but it was no longer Oliver Purnell that was making the calls. His successor, Brian Gregory, had shown a good deal of interest.

"I received offers from several schools. It came down to Dayton and Georgia. I felt UD was a better fit for me. I liked the coaching staff and their style of basketball. When I was recruited by Coach Gregory, one of the first things that I noticed about him was his high level of expectation for the program. He is a good teacher. He focuses on the little things.

"Part of the reason that I came to UD was the fan support. When you do something well on the court and the fans cheer, it makes you feel even better. Not a lot of teams get the kind of support that we get. My coming to UD has lived up to everything I thought it would be and even more."

Roberts continued to improve his overall game and as a senior he saw a small drop off in some of his numbers (17.5 points, 5.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds) but became more of a complete player. He again led his team to the Ohio State Tournament before losing in the finals. He took the loss hard.

"My junior year in high school, we lost in the semi-finals of the state. When I got there for my senior year, I really wanted to win after losing the previous year. It was really disappointing losing that game. It was rough. The thing that kept me going was everyone was telling me that at the college level, I would have an opportunity for an even greater championship."

As a freshman at Dayton, he found that the starting position was not just going to be handed to him. He started just one game during a season that found the Flyers over achieving beyond anyone's expectations while going 18-11. Needless to say, Roberts was a big part of that accomplishment. He average nearly 10 points per game and was named UD's Most Improved Player after scoring in double figures in 11 of the last 17 games of the year.

The future looked bright for the Dayton program as Trent Meacham, Robert's running mate at point guard and Roberts looked to team together for another three years and take the Flyers farther into the NCAA Tournament in each succeeding season. That was not to be, however, as Meacham unexpectedly announced that he would transfer to his hometown, University of Illinois. This was a crippling blow to a program that looked to be headed for great things.

"It was different playing the two guard position last year. It took a while to get used to not having the ball in my hands all of the time, but I enjoyed it. It was a big surprise when Trent left. None of us saw it coming. All we can worry about is how we play. I really felt he was going to be a good player here and we would make a good team. I still wonder why he left."

Yet, it was Warren Williams that would probably feel the brunt of Meacham's leaving, at least in the short term. He was the senior that was selected to lead this team. His minutes would undoubted increase significantly as he and Roberts were the only pure scholarship guards left on the team. But Williams struggled and Gregory needed to make a tough decision. Roberts would move to the starting point position.

"After Trent left, Coach Gregory and I had several discussions about how it would change my roll. I would have to make adjustments to my game. He said it would be a good opportunity for me. I knew I was going to play some point this season but it was a surprise when Coach made the move to putting me in the starting spot."

Although it was somewhat of a midseason shock, Roberts needed to perform well immediately. The Flyers were just entering the toughest part of their schedule.

"When I was in high school, I played the point all of the time. At this level you have a lot more responsibility. You have to make sure that the team is running the offense properly and you are getting everyone involved. The game is much faster and the opposing point guards are much better defensively. At this point, I would give myself a "B" as the starting point guard. I still don't feel like a have as good of control of the game as I would like. I try to take what the defense gives me.

"You have to be able to adjust from game to game and your particular opponent. You have to make the player your defending less of a factor in the game. I feel that it is my job to give my teammates opportunities for easy baskets. If it means I dribble penetrate and then dish it out, that is what I need to do."

Despite this new responsibility, Roberts is not in a position to allow the rest of his game to suffer. He entered this season with a great deal of hype. He brought to the floor something that Dayton had not had in some time, a player that could create his own shot.

"I knew coming into this year that there would be certain expectations of how much I would score, but I don't let that affect me. I don't look at it as pressure. I feel that I prepared well over the summer and since the season has started to do what is expected of me on the court. When I first started playing the point I struggled with when to shoot and when to distribute. I feel more comfortable as to when to do what. Coach looks to the point guard as an extension of him out on the court. That is what I am trying to do."

After a quick start this season, the internet bulletin boards were buzzing with Roberts' name and his ability to play at the next level, possibly even after his junior year. Would he be the first player since Johnny Davis to leave after three years?

"The last thing on my mind right now is the NBA draft. My job is to help out UD. I have a lot of work to do before I think about what happens to me after college. My job is to get better and help the team get better. Hopefully I can continue to play after college, but that is a long way away."

When Brian Gregory met with Brian Roberts the first time, he knew that he was talking to a special player. What he didn't know was how special a person he was. It is rare to find the star high school athlete that has time for much more than the sport in which he participates. No so for Brian Roberts.

"I was the President of the African American Assembly in high school. We did several projects in the local community. We would go to soup kitchens during Thanksgiving and Christmas and help out the people that were in need. There were a lot of opportunities at St. John's high school to get involved in these types of activities. I just took advantage of this opportunity. It was good for me to get to know some of these people."

When recruiting a 17-year-old kid to play basketball at the college level, it is easy to get caught up in the numbers. How many assists, how many points, how many rebounds. Sometimes you need to dig a little further to get a real understanding of the mindset of these young adults. Brian Roberts is not too big to give up his time to help those in need. It is not too far a stretch to see that he feels the same about his team. It is not individual statistics that concern him. It is what he can do to make his teammates better. It would seem that handing out assists would come a lot more natural after handing out food to those in need.
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  #1  
By topflight2 on 03-18-2008, 08:25 PM
love ittt
i still can't believe this is his last year and any of these next games could be his last
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