The Unusual Suspect
By Jeff Johnson
If you’re a state of Alabama high school basketball fan, you should have heard of Josh Roberts before. Well then again maybe you haven’t. In today’s world of recruiting it’s hard for prospects to go unnoticed. Between the news outlets, social media, blog sites and recruiting services it’s hard for kids to fall through the cracks. Especially if they’re 6’8 with long arms, athletic frame, endless vertical and a knack for making spectacular plays. Guys like these are already household names by the time they are out of middle school. But in Troy, Alabama, there’s a young man there whose feats on the court are legend. But until this April only his teammates, coaches and opponents knew who he was and what he was capable of.
Josh Roberts took April by storm. In the first evaluation period, every time I logged onto twitter, D1 Circuit was tweeting out his EYBL stats. Game after game he was stuffing stat sheets and putting the opposition on posters. The secret was finally out. Most prospects who were already on coaches radars, used their eye opening performances and turned them into offers. Josh however was sending college coaches to their notes and had them flipping through their player’s manuals scratching their heads. “Who’s this kid? Where the hell did he come from?” Not resting on his jaw dropping April, Josh has followed up those early performances with exactly what the coaches wanted and needed to see, consistency!! And that consistency was rewarded with scholarship offers. |
The Unusual SuspectHigh School: Montverde Post Grad (FL) AAU Team: Southern Stampede EYBL Top Schools: Georgia, Auburn, Wichita State, Alabama, South Carolina, St. Johns Offers: AU, UGA, New Mexico, UCF, St. Louis, Troy, Towson, FGCU, UMASS Reclassified to 2018 |
We stumbled onto a highlight of a lob Josh caught during the season, reached out to him and let’s just say the rest is history. But Josh doesn’t feel overlooked or left out. It’s merely increasing the size of that giant chip on his shoulder and making him work harder to have an even better July.
I caught up with Josh recently and had a chance to ask him a few questions about how he’s handled his recent success, his plans for the future and who his top schools are at the moment.
#1. I know you were a 2017 Graduate. There’s been talk of you reclassifying. Are you still going to reclassify? And if so to what school?
Yes I’ve reclassified to 2018 and I will attend Montverde Academy Post Grad (FL)
#2. Right now who are your Top Schools? Who all do you have offers from?
Top Schools: Georgia, Auburn, Wichita State, Alabama, South Carolina, St Johns
Offers: AU, UGA, New Mexico, UCF, St. Louis, Troy, Towson, FGCU, UMASS, St. Johns
#3. Who do you model your game after? And what parts of your game do you think you need to work on?
I model my game after Willie Cauley-Stein and Brandon Ingram.
I’d like to extend my range and improve my ball-handling before I get to college.
#4. What events did you attend in July?
We went to Peach Jam (Augusta, GA) for the first live period. Then I went to Victor Oladipo Skills Academy and we finished up in Kansas for our last tournament.
Just a few months ago Josh was contemplating going to go to junior college and playing football. But as faith would have it he has an opportunity to play the sport he loves and at a high level without having to deal the 100 degree southern temperatures on the gridiron. This unusual story is going to have a great ending.
Note: Roberts will be on campus at St. John's for an official visit this weekend, September 1-3.
I caught up with Josh recently and had a chance to ask him a few questions about how he’s handled his recent success, his plans for the future and who his top schools are at the moment.
#1. I know you were a 2017 Graduate. There’s been talk of you reclassifying. Are you still going to reclassify? And if so to what school?
Yes I’ve reclassified to 2018 and I will attend Montverde Academy Post Grad (FL)
#2. Right now who are your Top Schools? Who all do you have offers from?
Top Schools: Georgia, Auburn, Wichita State, Alabama, South Carolina, St Johns
Offers: AU, UGA, New Mexico, UCF, St. Louis, Troy, Towson, FGCU, UMASS, St. Johns
#3. Who do you model your game after? And what parts of your game do you think you need to work on?
I model my game after Willie Cauley-Stein and Brandon Ingram.
I’d like to extend my range and improve my ball-handling before I get to college.
#4. What events did you attend in July?
We went to Peach Jam (Augusta, GA) for the first live period. Then I went to Victor Oladipo Skills Academy and we finished up in Kansas for our last tournament.
Just a few months ago Josh was contemplating going to go to junior college and playing football. But as faith would have it he has an opportunity to play the sport he loves and at a high level without having to deal the 100 degree southern temperatures on the gridiron. This unusual story is going to have a great ending.
Note: Roberts will be on campus at St. John's for an official visit this weekend, September 1-3.