Fresno State Athletics
Degree of Excellence
1/27/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 27, 2000
FRESNO, Calif. - It is an accomplishment that will remain with senior forward Terrance Roberson always. It is an achievement that has required patience, discipline and desire over a period of more than four years. That attainment will be a degree in sociology that Roberson has worked hard to obtain. Roberson had to sit out his freshman season to fulfill NCAA eligibility requirements, possibly losing a year of eligibility.
However, he regained that year of eligibility because he will graduate at the end of this semester. Roberson values the opportunity to play another year of college basketball, but he will treasure his degree as one of the most significant accomplishments in his life.
"A degree is something that I'll be able to keep with me forever," Roberson said. "I'll be only the third person in my family to have graduated from college, so this is very important."
Earning his degree by the end of the calendar year will also allow him to focus on basketball and guiding the Bulldogs to a WAC championship.
"Aside from graduation, I set a couple some goals coming into this season," Roberson said. "I want to be a first team All-WAC performer and be an All-WAC defender."
Last season Roberson put up solid numbers. He was second on the team in scoring with a 12.3 points per game average and third in rebounding at 5.9 rebounds per game. Against San Jose State in February he scored 28 points a pulled down a personal best 13 boards, at the time both were career bests. Only nine days later however, he dropped in 11 buckets to produce another 28 performance night against New Mexico. In 33 game he was a workhorse, playing an average of 31 minutes a contest.
Over the course of his career at Fresno State, Roberson could have declared his major in the field of three-point shooting. The 6-7 swingman from Saginaw, Mich. has been an assassin from beyond the arc. During the `96-`97 season he shot a remarkable 49.3% from three-point range. He earned an AT&T "Long Distance Award" for drilling 15 of 24 treys and leading the nation in three-point field goal percentage during the month of January in `97.
His career percentage from long range is a 37.2%, and that number will rise rapidly by the end of this season. During a three game stretch earlier this year, Roberson hit 15 of 33 (45.5%) deep balls, including a career-high eight aginst Cal State Northridge. Currently he is third on the career list for three-point field goals made behind, so if there were a degree for deadly shooters, he would have already earned it.
For four years Roberson has been known as basically a three-point threat. But it is clear Roberson has been more than just a pure shooter. He has always been a tenacious defender who can guard smaller players along perimeter and handle the big guys in the frontcourt. Entering the season, he ranked 10th on the school's career steals leader list and he will crack the top 10 in rebounds. As a testament of his consistency, Roberson played in 95 games in his first three years on the court and presently has a streak of 56 consecutive starts coming into tonight. Most significantly, Roberson could make a serious run at former player and current assistant Wil Hooker's career points record.
Some of the notable records will probably fall because of Roberson hot start this season. He scored a career-high 30 points in the Hawi'i Thanksgiving tournament against LSU. With senior guard Courtney Alexander out for the first six games, it was inevitable Roberson would score more. But it has been his emotional presence on the court that has held the team intact.
"In the first couple games I really took it upon myself to pick up the scoring slack for Melvin [Ely] and for Courtney," Roberson said. "But now I'm just letting the game come to me and taking whatever the defense is going to give to me. Most of all, I just want to be a leader."
"My leadership is so important to this team," Roberson said. "Once I get fired up, everybody gets fired up. If I'm lacking intensity, then the younger guys won't be playing with intensity. When I'm playing with intensity, and everybody is playing together, this team can bring a lot of fire-power to the table."
Roberson will leave Fresno State as one who did bring fire-power, attitude and flair to the Fresno State basketball program. He will also leave with having gained an education and balancing basketball to the highest degree.
