Ronald Roberts nearly had his heart broken when he parted ways with St. John’s.
Now he’s found a new home and he couldn’t be happier.
“Yeah, I just committed to St. Joe’s,” the 6-foot-7-205-pound Roberts said Monday night. “I called Coach [Phil] Martelli just a little while ago.”
A combo forward who averaged 19 points, 13 rebounds and 3.5 blocks at Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter’s Prep, Roberts also visited Virginia and was supposed to visit Georgia Tech in two weeks.
But he decided that trip wasn’t necessary.
“I was talking to my dad and we had a long talk and we talked about how great a coach Coach Martelli is and how he can get me to the next level. I thought it would be best if I went to St. Joe’s,” Roberts said.
Roberts initially signed with former St. John’s coach Norm Roberts but then got a release from his Letter of Intent after Steve Lavin took over.
“I was signed and then Coach Roberts got fired so that was another long process,” Ronald said. “The recruitment had its up and downs but I’m glad it’s over with.”
St. Joe’s has three signed players in 6-9 C.J. Aiken, 6-6 Daryus Quarles, and 6-3 Langston Galloway and just got a verbal from 6-3 shooting guard Pat Swilling Jr. of Brother Martin (La.) High.
St. Peter’s Prep coach Mike Kelly said Roberts fits in perfectly with that class.
“It puts the proverbial cherry on the cake for these guys,” Kelly said. “What a class they have coming and they’ve satisfied all their needs. They have guards, they got a couple big guys and these guys are all big-time guys. I think Ron is the icing on the cake.”
He added: “He’s going to be a tremendous player for them and it’s so much the right spot for him and he’s so lucky to be in this recruiting class.”
Roberts said he hopes this class can ultimately go deep into the NCAA tournament.
“After a couple years we can make it far into the tournament if we have good chemistry and I know Coach Martelli will do a good job with us,” he said. “We’ll have to see how it falls into place.”
PATRICK JACKSON TO KENT STATE
Former Rutgers wing Patrick Jackson has found a new home, too.
“I chose Kent State because of the winning tradition and because of the relationship I had with Geno Ford,” Jackson said. “He’s a real players’ coach and dedicated to building his players to their full potential.
“I also chose them because not only the coaches talk positively about the program but the players do as well. They all just have one thing in mind and that’s winning, not competing in hope of winning. They have set plans on winning seeing how as though they won their
conference (something I haven’t experinced since High School).
“I liked the campus life in Kent. It fit me. I’m just excited for a fresh start and a new begining where I can grow as a player and be a part of something special over there.”
The 6-6 Brooklyn native averaged 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds last season at Rutgers.
He was one of three Rutgers sophomores to transfer, following Gregory Echenique (Creighton) and Mike Rosario (Florida).
He also considered UNLV, Marshall, Delaware and Creighton.
(Photos courtesy Mike Kelly and Rutgers Athletics)
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