Another Running Rebel added to the Gumbo mix!

[Pirogue]

A long road to Houston for Baton Rouge's Lamar Roberson
Associated Press

Updated: July 5, 2005, 3:33 PM ET
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BATON ROUGE, La. -- Lamar Roberson is the first to admit that, while he excelled at basketball, he wasn't much of a student in high school.

"I was lazy," said Roberson, 20. "I was undisciplined and I was mischievous. But life has taught me a lesson."

That lesson involved leaving his home town of Baton Rouge and doing a lot of traveling, ending eventually at the University of Houston, where he begins his first semester as a student.

Roberson's mentor through many of the journeys has been a man named Henry Baptiste.

"Basketball is really that boy's life," said Baptiste, who serves as Southern University's football color analyst. "But he's had to learn the hard way that the sport isn't everything. But it's what kept him out of the streets."

Roberson played as an eighth- and ninth-grader at Southern Lab, where he helped the Kittens win the Class A state championship.

In the first semester of his sophomore year, Roberson left Southern Lab because of unsatisfactory grades and what he calls "disciplinary problems."

"That's when I stepped in," Baptiste said. "I had to make him realize that he needed to graduate. And if he wanted to play ball, he had to step up his game in the classroom."

Baptiste said Roberson got his attention after watching just a few games.

Roberson was sent to Mt. Zion Christian Academy, in Durham, N.C.

Tracy McGrady and Amare Stoudamire are among current NBA players who have attended Mt. Zion.

At Mt. Zion, players are not allowed to curse, listen to secular music, wear jewelry, go on dates or miss church. Those rules posed a problem for Roberson, who was uncomfortable being away from home at such a young age.

"He was young and I thought it was better for him, but it didn't work out too well," said Yvonne Roberson, Lamar's mother.

At 16, Roberson came back home, wanting to return to Baton Rouge, but he could not come back to Southern Lab.

"They said that it was because of disciplinary reasons. He was a risk," Baptiste said. "At the time, Principal Brenda Sterling ran the school with an iron-clad fist."

Also, there were eligibility concerns with his age and his grades.

"All I wanted to do is play basketball. I still didn't get the part about the grades," Roberson said.

Baptiste said he made a decision to find help after Roberson realized that straightening up and getting good grades would be the only way he could play.

The next step was to attend the Louisiana New School Academy in Baton Rouge. The school provided Roberson an academic alternative, but it was not great for starting a basketball career.

Roberson said a friend of his encouraged him to go to Compton, Calif., to attend Dominguez High School, the same school Tayshaun Prince of the Detroit Pistons and Tyson Chandler of the Chicago Bulls attended.

"I was older by then, and a bit more mature, so I went for it," Roberson said. "Besides, I knew I had to get my grades together and I couldn't do it here. The people I was hanging with were some of the same ones bringing me down.

"Everyone here said that I wouldn't amount to anything. I had to prove them wrong."

Baptiste, along with Roberson's mother, said they would not let him give up.

"He got the ball-playing part, but he had to go to California to realize that basketball wasn't everything," Yvonne Roberson said.

Baptiste helped Roberson get to Compton to attend Dominguez. The team won the 2004 state championship and he was named most valuable player in the state tournament.

But after the season, Roberson learned that credits from Mt. Zion didn't transfer.

"I didn't have the grades so I left to go to an academy in Alabama and got kicked out," he said.

Roberson was expelled from Central Park Academy in Alabama for cursing and he still did not have a diploma.

From Dominguez High to Central Park, coaches from colleges like Louisville and Wake Forest were working hard to recruit Roberson. Ever since the 10th grade, Roberson said, Mississippi State had been watching him.

He committed to Louisville and Roberson said Cardinals coach Rick Pitino asked him to go to a junior college first to get his GED instead of a high school diploma. Roberson refused.

"That showed us where their heads were," Baptiste said. "We felt all they (Louisville officials) wanted to do was use kids. Lamar needed a diploma. It was time to send him back to Mt. Zion."

At the beginning of the next semester, Roberson said Mt. Zion accepted him, but not on scholarship because of his history. Baptiste helped him financially to live in Durham, while he worked to get his diploma.

"If I could have done it all over again," Roberson said, "I would have just gone straight to Mt. Zion and stayed."

Just before his graduation in May, University of Houston men's basketball associate head coach Marvin Haralson contacted Roberson.

"He did a wonderful job of getting his grades together and doing what he needed to be done to get here," Haralson said. "Now, he's eligible to play. These days, you need a high school diploma. His talent, skill package and appearance on the court are extras."

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[Pirogue]

Sensational freshman forward Lamar Roberson

By Russell Sollock
CoogFans' Football Moderator
Posted Jul 20, 2005


On Coach Penders:"He runs! He runs! I love his style of getting up and down the court. I have not seen any other coaches in the country do what he does of running and getting shots. It really is the only way you can win. I had heard a lot about Tom Penders, and when I saw them I was really impressed with how they played. He is one of the best coaches in the country to play for." - Lamar Roberson


RS - First of all, tell us where you are from and how you started playing basketball.
LR - I am from Baton Rouge La. and started playing basketball when I was eight or nine with the other kids in the neighborhood. They would rough me up a little but I could still hold my own, I was pretty good. I didn’t play organized basketball until I was 10 or 11.

RS - What is your current height and weight?
LR - I am about 6’7” 208 lbs. I have actually gained eight pounds since I’ve arrived here and working out.

RS - Please explain your experience going through so many high schools to get where you are now.
LR - I look at it now and think if I just would have listened to my mom, I wouldn’t have been in the situation I was in. It was so tough. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to go through, but I stayed with it and never gave up. I know a lot of people who graduated straight out of high school who said I would never be anything, but I have proven all of them wrong.

RS - Do you feel you have learned anything from these experiences?
LR - First of all, I thank God for this. If it were not for him it would all be over now. My mom just kept telling to keep my head and do the right thing. I did that and look where it has gotten me.

RS - Please tell us about your high school team and what your role on that team was.
LR - At Mt. Zion, we had another player who was supposedly an NBA prospect, Brandon Rush. I played everything from the point and when the center got hurt I played some center as well. I was the player who did a little of everything to help the team win.

RS - Have there been any influential people who have helped you develop your game?
LR - Yes, my friend Titus Randal from California. He is the only one who ever took me to the gym to workout and taught me the importance of it. He always tells me to workout and lift weights. I had done it some, but never as much as he had me doing. Now I do it because I have to get bigger and stronger to play at this level.

RS - Do you have any role models who you pattern your game after?
LR - Yes, Gilbert Arenas. He wears number zero on his jersey to signify what everyone told him, he would amount to nothing. Now look where he is at. I Love his game and admire what he has accomplished. He was very similar to me, people in high school would put him down and he has overcome all of that. I really don’t play like him but I do admire what he has accomplished.

RS - What is your most memorable moment as a basketball player?
LR - I actually have two. My first was when I scored 32 points in the CIF championship game in Ca. against Engelwood High School. Though I should have had 41 points if I had hit all my freethrows. Second would be when I played for the state championship as a freshman in La. I started on that team with Marcus Spears (LSU).

RS - What other schools recruited you and why did you decide to attend the University of Houston?
LR - I was recruited by Wake Forest, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Purdue and a lot more. I had originally committed to Louisville. My mom really wanted me to come to the University of Houston, but I never listened to her. She told me what a nice place it was and the program was really on the rise. She told me, you know I would never tell you anything that is wrong for you. I was able to see them a couple times. I came here for the UAB game and saw them on television against Louisville and really liked the way they played. It is strange because Houston had never really seen me play. They eventually did see me play, but it was my friend Gary Dyer who told me about Houston and what a nice place it is. He and my mom are the ones who got me to come see the campus and meet the coaches. I like Penders and then I met Coach Haralson and love him too.

RS - What do you know about Tom Penders’ style of ball and what are your impressions of his system?
LR - He runs! He runs! I love his style of getting up and down the court. I have not seen any other coaches in the country do what he does of running and getting shots. It really is the only way you can win. I had heard a lot about Tom Penders, and when I saw them I was really impressed with how they played. He is one of the best coaches in the country to play for.

RS - Did beating Louisville have anything to do with your decision?
LR - Yeah, it really did. They have a great program, but I would rather go to a program on the rise so I can say I helped build a program and bring them back.

RS - Compare your workouts now with what you were used to in high school?
LR - To be honest, we didn’t workout. I never felt like I needed to much because I was always bigger and better than everyone. Now I am lifting, running and have already gained eight pounds this summer. I am going to be ready.

RS - Now that you have had a chance to meet most of the incoming class along with the rest of the team, what are your thoughts on the talent Coach Penders has assembled?
LR - We are ready and we are going to be real good this year. We are going to shock a lot of people and we are going to the tournament this year.

RS - Is there anyone inparticular who has impressed you with his leadership or abilities?
LR - Everyone! They can all play and are all like big brothers to me. When I get down they just keep pushing me back up. They told me they were close last year, but not like they are now. It is really nice, I love it.

RS - What attributes will you bring to the team and what do you feel like you need to work on the most?
LR - I need to work on my jump shot the most, but I like to get everyone else involved first. I know I can score, but I feel after I get everyone else involved, my points will come. I feel the team should always come first. Some of the guys are telling me I am going to have to change my attitude because Penders likes for us to shoot the ball. So I do feel I need to work on not passing up my shots.

RS - What are your individual goals this season?
LR - I really don’t worry about individual goals right now, that will come later. I don’t care if I start or come off the bench I just want to get to the tournament and have a great year.

RS - What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the University of Houston?
LR - Great city! I think of the past and great history of the University of Houston. They have a great history and were the top dawgs for a while. We are trying to get this program back too where it belongs and it is going to happen.

RS - Are you familiar with Phi Slamma Jamma and the other greats who have played here before you?
LR - Yes, I am, I have seen some tapes and it was just running and dunking every time.

RS - Are you familiar with the role current coach Michael Young played on the team?
LR - Yes, I heard he was the leading scorer and All-American.

RS - What do you plan to study and what are your ambitions following school?
LR - I am going to study Business Administration. My first goal is to make it to the NBA. Even if I do make it I will still come back and get my degree. I promised my mom I would get my degree and I want to be the first one in my family with a college degree.

RS - Do you ever read CoogFans.com?
LR - I have never really been on it, but I will check it out some time.

RS - Are there any last words you would like to say to all the Cougar fans out there?
LR - Houston basketball is back and we are going to have a great season.