John Roberson: A Player Worth Cheering For

Originally published in the January 2007 issue of The North Texas High School Sports Report http://www.nortexsports.com.

John Roberson could let it all go to his head. Being featured on the cover for Texas Basketball. Being mentioned as one of the top high school players in the state. Being able to tell folks that he just signed a letter of intent to play basketball for Bobby Knight at Texas Tech. He could walk around Plano High School with an attitude, the proverbial Big Man on Campus.

John Roberson is not that way, however. He sees his ability as a blessing. The media attention, he sees as an opportunity. The scholarship to Tech, he sees as a chance to pay back his mother for everything she did for him. He's a good kid who just may be the best basketball player the area has ever seen.

Being on the cover of a statewide magazine as one of the best players in Texas surely has its advantages, but Roberson keeps it all in stride. "I try to keep myself as humble as I can be, because if I get a big head it can all fall out of place. My teammates do a good job whenever there is a lot of pressure and focus on me, they step up and support me."

With all the positive attention Roberson gets, there are the negatives he endures from opposing players. "When we played South Oak Cliff, they spent half the night face-checking him and flat out holding him and he still scores 30," Plano head coach Tom Inman said. Roberson also gets more than his fair share of trash talking on the court. "(I get that) All the time. I use it as a motivational thing. I've been in their position, back when I played against older guys who were bigger names than me, so being in their shoes before just motivates me to go out there and do what I do. It's great to pick up something and see my name in it but it tells me to keep working. I know if I saw someone on the cover of a magazine I'd circle them and when I play them I would give them my best, so I have to work that much harder."