East St. Louis guard Kenny Roberson signs with SWIC
The quiet man of the East St. Louis basketball program during the ‘15-16 season, Kenny Roberson is moving on.
A 6-foot-2 sharpshooting guard, Roberson announced on Monday that he has accepted a scholarship offer and will play at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville beginning in the 20-16-17 season.
Looking to fill a glaring need at point guard with the graduation of all Region 24 performer De’Antae McMurray later this spring, the Blue Storm will give Roberson a crack at earning the job, despite the fact that he was an off-guard at East St. Louis where he averaged nearly 13 points per game during his senior year.
“I’m a good shooter and I like to take the basketball to the rim. I’ve never really played or been asked to play point guard, but I’m willing to work hard and to learn to play it. (SWIC) coach (Jay) Harrington has told me that if I do what I’m supposed to do, that I’ll have the opportunity for a lot of playing time,’’ Roberson said. “I like the style of play they (SWIC) plays. It fits my game well.’’
Roberson is just one of several new players who will be on the Blue Storm roster next season. SWIC was 26-6 this past year, but must reload because of graduation. SWIC will have at least 10 new players on its ‘16-17 squad.
But the addition of Roberson is a good place to start. Under the guidance of first-year coach and former Flyers great Phillip Gilbert, Roberson’s play and his leadership abilities were some of the bright sports for East St. Louis which finished 12-14 and lost to Belleville East in the first round of the Class 4A East St. Louis Regional.
“Kenny is a good kid who wants to do well,’’ Gilbert said. “He’s a player who didn’t get a lot of opportunities to show we could do his first three years. But as a senior he came in and made the most of his chances. I’m so proud of him for that,’’ Gilbert said. “He doesn’t say much. He’s a quiet kid and so for him to be able to not only be able to come in and play with a group who has been together for a long time, but also be one of the players to take the big shot, says a lot for him.
“Kenny has told me he thinks SWIC is a great fit for him and I completely agree. It’s close to home and with assistant coaches (Stetson) Hairston, Ramon Kelly and (Steve) Campo along with coach Harrington, I think he’ll have a great opportunity to play, get an education and move on in a couple of years.’’
Although Roberson is a scorer, he has also proven he can do other things. In addition to his double figure scoring average, Roberson also averaged five rebounds and two assists per game.
Roberson plans oN majoring in sports management.
“I know I’ve got to improve in all areas of the game,’’ Roberson said. “I’m just going to come in and work as hard as I can,’’
This story was originally published April 11, 2016 at 3:36 PM with the headline "East St. Louis guard Kenny Roberson signs with SWIC."