Another Running Rebel added to the Gumbo mix!

[RaginEsquire06]

Former UNLV forward Lamar Roberson

"Former UNLV forward Lamar Roberson passed his physical and was cleared to practice with the team on Friday. The 6-foot-8 sophomore, a Baton Rouge native who left the Rebels in January, enrolled at UL this semester as a non-scholarship player, Lee said."

See: http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pb...802090327/1006

"Played as a true freshman in 2005-06 at the University of Houston ... appeared in 18 games, starting six ... averaged 5.1 ppg and 2.2 rpg in 12.2 minutes per contest ... shot 41.2 percent from the field and a team-best 39.5 percent from 3-point range ... Houston recorded a 21-10 overall record and advanced to the second round of the NIT ... scored a career-high 25 points and set a UH freshman record for most 3-pointers made in a game with seven against Florida Tech ... tallied 12 points and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds and four assists off the bench against Rice ... scored nine points against UNLV and Texas A&M Corpus Christi ... scored five points, including the clinching basket on a breakaway slam dunk in Houston's 69-65 upset win over then-No. 13 Arizona ... led the team in scoring once, rebounding three times, assists once and blocked shots four times ... played at Houston with Runnin' Rebel teammate Emmanuel Adeife."

"Attended Mt. Zion Academy in North Carolina where he helped lead his team to a 38-4 mark in 2004-05 ... he was rated as one of the nation's top 35 fifth-year prep players by HoopScoop ... also rated as one of the top 50 high school players by several publications ... named to the All-National Prep School Invitational Team in 2005 ... prior to Mt. Zion, he played one season at Dominguez High School in Long Beach, Calif. ... he averaged 15.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 3.5 apg and 3.2 bpg ... named second-team all-state for 2003-04 ... scored a season-high 32 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the CIF Southern Section 11-A Regional Championship game against Inglewood High in a 71-58 victory ... was named the California Division II Section Co-Player of the Year ... ranked fourth among West Coast small forwards by The Insiders.com ... rated among the top 23 players overall and top three forwards at the 2004 Adidas Super All-American summer camp ... was the MVP of the Southern Lab, Class I-A State Championship Game in 2000-01."

See: http://unlvrebels.cstv.com/sports/m-...n_lamar00.html

[Zeebart21]

Thats great! Lon Krueger was jerking the kid around for a while and not signing his release.

Z

[Clutch0364]

Can I say it guys....WE WILL BE LOADED NEXT YEAR :-)

[rhineaux]

Anyone know how much eligibility he'll have, and if he'll be able to start at the end of the fall semester?

[Cajunsmike]

Anyone know how much eligibility he'll have, and if he'll be able to start at the end of the fall semester?

He will have 1 3/4 year of eligibility and will be ready to go when the fall semester ends in Dec. Of course that assumes he handles his academics.

[zephyr]

_ Can I say it guys....WE WILL BE LOADED NEXT YEAR :-) _

I just wish we could redshirt a couple of guys and get Gary, Daigle and Dison their fourth years back!!

[Clutch0364]

_ I just wish we could redshirt a couple of guys and get Gary, Daigle and Dison their fourth years back!! _

Someone I am sure will redshirt next year...we have far to many guys coming in and coming back not to redshirt. If the 3 you mention stay on their grades like I am sure they will, they will get that year back.

[Big Buds]

Trust me, those three will get there last year of eligibility back!

[Pirogue]

Jul. 23, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Rebels pick up Houston transfer

Roberson must sit out this season, has three years of eligibility left

By MATT YOUMANS
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Lamar Roberson
6-7 forward averaged 5.1 points in 18 games for Houston last season as a freshman

A top recruit has committed to UNLV, but Lamar Roberson was not playing in a summer prep tournament Saturday when he made the announcement.

Roberson, a 6-foot-7-inch forward, is planning to transfer from Houston. He said the Rebels are getting "a real exciting player" who is looking to settle down for a while.

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"I really don't like moving around at all," said Roberson, who attended three high schools in three years and spent one season with the Cougars.

"No matter what goes on, I'm not leaving. It's a great situation at UNLV."

Roberson must sit out this season but will be on scholarship with the Rebels and has three years of eligibility remaining.

UNLV coach Lon Kruger, who was scouting players at the three major prep tournaments in Las Vegas, is not allowed to comment because of NCAA rules.

But Roberson said he met with Kruger and his staff and formed a bond with assistant coach Lew Hill.

"I like Coach Kruger, and Coach Hill is like a father to me," he said.

Roberson's season at Houston was marked by inconsistency. He played in 18 games, starting six, and averaged 5.1 points per game.

He hit seven 3-pointers and scored 25 points in a season-opening 131-62 victory over Florida Tech. But his playing time eventually decreased and he did not play in the Cougars' season-ending loss to Missouri State.

Roberson started and scored nine points in Houston's 83-73 loss to UNLV at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 20.

He denied any rift with Cougars coach Tom Penders.

"I just didn't fit in the system. I wanted to play on the wing, and they wanted me to play inside because we didn't have a lot of big men on the team," he said.

"I just can't even really explain it. I love Coach Penders and he's a real good coach. It's his team and I couldn't disagree. We never had a falling out or nothing."

Roberson, from Baton Rouge, La., spent one year at Dominguez High School in Long Beach, Calif. He committed to Louisville but did not have the required test scores and enrolled at Mt. Zion Christian Academy in Durham, N.C.

Several scouting services ranked Roberson, who has a 7-foot wingspan, among the nation's top 50 prep players before he signed with Houston.

He talked to two current Rebels who went to high school in the Houston area -- senior Michael Umeh and sophomore Wink Adams -- before making his decision.

"Wink said it's a great program and he can't wait until I get there," said Roberson, finishing summer school at Houston before enrolling at UNLV next month.

"I have an all-around game and I just want to be able to show it. I can do everything -- handle the ball, shoot, pass, dunk -- and I feel UNLV is the place where I can get it done."

The Rebels also expected to welcome Marquette transfer Ryan Amoroso, who said July 10 he planned to join the program as a walk-on this season. But Amoroso changed his mind one week later and is instead headed to San Diego State.

Roberson said his decision is final.

"No matter what, I'm going to be at UNLV and we're going to win," he said.

[Pirogue]

Jan. 18, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

UNLV's Cage, Roberson strive to be impact players in future

By MATT YOUMANS
REVIEW-JOURNAL


UNLV forward Lamar Roberson, taking a breather during practice, is sitting out this season after transferring from Houston.
Photo by Craig L. Moran.



UNLV freshman Troy Cage, shown in practice Wednesday, has bulked up and practiced hard as he redshirts this season.
Photo by Craig L. Moran.

Behind the scenes, Troy Cage and Lamar Roberson are showing up to work every day. But in the middle of a promising UNLV basketball season, they are mostly out of sight, out of mind.

They lift weights five days a week, practice with the rest of the team and challenge each other in one-on-one drills. And then they watch.

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They live Allen Iverson's nightmare -- all practice and no games.

Cage, from Baton Rouge, La., is being redshirted as a freshman. Roberson, a sophomore, is sitting out the year after transferring from Houston.

"There are points in the season when you say, 'Man, why am I doing this?' I get down and up, and it's a roller coaster sometimes," Cage said.

"You see some points in a game when we're down or whatever, and I'm telling myself, 'I wish I could get in and help.' "

That time is coming. They are paying their dues now, but Cage and Roberson are expected to play big roles for the Rebels next season and beyond.

"Those guys are going to be counted on, and they are part of our future that we're building here," UNLV assistant coach Lew Hill said. "This is the time they've got to get better. Sitting out is hard, but they've got to make themselves mentally strong."

Roberson was considered one of the nation's top 50 prep players coming out of Mt. Zion Academy in North Carolina in 2005.

He played in 18 games, and started six, as a freshman at Houston but said he did not fit well in coach Tom Penders' system. After joining the Rebels, he began lifting weights for the first time and has gained 15 pounds to put him at about 215.

"The switch from Houston to here is kind of hard," Roberson said. "It's more freelance at Houston and it's more organized here, so I get yelled at from time to time."

At 6 feet 8 inches, Roberson has a smooth perimeter jumper and is probably best suited as a small forward. But he might be needed as a power forward next season to help replace senior Wendell White, the team's leading scorer and rebounder.

"Coach Hill recently asked me, 'Can you rebound like Wendell? Can you have a low-post game like Wendell?' As of right now, I'm nothing like Wendell at all," Roberson said.

"By next year, I should be able to do the same thing Wendell does, and play on the perimeter, too."

White praised the potential of both players.

"Lamar is basically like me. He can take people off the dribble, and he can shoot the 3 better than I can," White said. "Troy, that guy right there can jump out of the gym. He's going to be a great player, too."

Cage, a 6-5 shooting guard and small forward, also has gained 15 pounds since arriving at UNLV and is up to 190. He said he's similar to Roberson.

"The only way we're different right now is the way we work," Cage said. "I feel that I work a little harder."

Rebels coach Lon Kruger said Roberson has a few things to learn about playing with more effort.

"Sometimes, I don't play as hard as I can," Roberson said. "To separate yourself in college, you have to be mentally strong because everybody can jump and everybody has talent."

Hill said this season is valuable training for Cage, who was mostly a post player in high school, and Cage was receptive when Kruger said he planned to redshirt him.

"Coach (Kruger) is a humble guy," said Cage, also recruited by Miami and Texas A&M. "He came to me like a man and told me what he expected. He never filled my head up about what I was going to come in and play, and I respect that.

"He was telling me to tough it out. I'm doing this for the betterment of my teammates, so we can make the NCAA Tournament this year."

UNLV (15-4) loses five seniors after this season, so opportunities will be available for several young players.

"I plan to come out next year and play a role, whatever the coaches ask me to do," Cage said. "By my junior year, I will do some real big things."