Inside College Basketball

Fearless Freshman  

Brash newcomer Anthony Roberson has Florida winning the close ones

By Seth Davis

After hitting a shot to win a pickup game last fall, Florida freshman guard Anthony Roberson ran up to senior forward Matt Bonner, who had been on the opposing team, and laughed in his face. Bonner responded by shoving Roberson and shouting, "Don't you ever laugh in my face again!" Last Saturday in Gainesville, with the No. 11 Gators trailing No. 20 Georgia midway through the second half, Roberson again got in Bonner's face, after the senior passed up an open look at a three-pointer. This time Roberson wasn't laughing. "You've got to take that shot!" he yelled. "Be aggressive! These guys can't guard you."

Roberson sank Georgia with 23 points, including the game-winning three.  Bob Rosato

Bonner responded by scoring 10 points in less than two minutes to spark Florida's comeback from a 10-point deficit. Roberson followed up by scoring 15 of his team-high 23 points over the final nine minutes, the last three on a high-arcing 25-footer over Bulldogs swingman Jarvis Hayes at the buzzer to give the Gators a 66-63 victory. It was the third time this season that Florida (13-2, 2-0 in the SEC) had won a game that had come down to the final possession, which is significant considering that the Gators lost seven games last season by five points or fewer.

Florida is winning close games this year largely because of Roberson and a fellow freshman, 6'6" forward Matt Walsh. The rookies' value goes well beyond their combined 30.1 points per game. "There's a level of fearlessness in Walsh and Roberson that I think we were lacking at times last year," says Gators coach Billy Donovan. "Our older guys can be a little unsure at times about how to step up and make a big play. The freshmen have a real passion for winning, and the seniors feed off that."

The 6'1" Roberson, who is from Saginaw, Mich., can come off as too brash at times -- after spending time with him during a recruiting visit last year, Bonner thought he was a "wise guy" whose attitude would need adjusting. But Roberson has won his teammates over with his unselfishness and respect for the older players, occasional trash talk notwithstanding. When senior guard Brett Nelson was mired in a shooting slump in late December, Donovan decided to replace him in the starting lineup with Roberson so that Nelson would feel less pressure. Nelson was fine with the switch, but Roberson objected, telling Donovan that Nelson deserved the opportunity to play his way out of the slump. Donovan decided not to make the move and continues to bring Roberson off the bench. "That just shows how much character [Roberson] has," says Bonner. Says Roberson, "I know I'll have my chance to start someday. Right now it's the seniors' time, and I want to learn all I can from them."

With two big wins last week -- on Jan. 7 Florida knocked off No. 7 Mississippi State 74-66 in Starkville -- the Gators are learning how to win as a team, demonstrating the toughness that they will need for a deep run in the NCAA tournament. Just as long as they don't get too physical: After drilling the game-winner on Saturday, Roberson backpedaled to the far baseline before allowing his ecstatic teammates to swarm him. "I was worried they were going to hurt me," he said jokingly.

Issue date: January 20, 2003

For more Inside College Basketball see this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, on newsstands Wednesday, January 15. Click here to subscribe to SI.

 

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