Dec. 7, 2016
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
On campus in Nashville – Jeff Roberson admits he was a little shocked. When Vanderbilt’s junior forward glanced at the box score following the Commodores’ 56-52 loss to Minnesota, his rebounding total jumped out: Roberson had snagged a career-high 16 boards against the Gophers, along with 12 points.
Roberson, of course, cared more about the ‘Dores’ loss than his individual stats. But he was glad to know he’d done his job on the glass against Minnesota. “I didn’t really keep up with it,” Roberson said. “I just knew I’d gotten the first offensive rebound of the game, because we focus on second chance points. But 16 boards surprised me a little bit. I hadn’t had one of those nights since high school.”
Roberson has become a linchpin of Vanderbilt’s rebounding efforts in head coach Bryce Drew’s first season. At just 6-foot-6, Roberson is routinely an undersized power forward (four) in the Commodores’ starting lineup. But the shifty junior has used positioning and speed to find rebounds on the court, and he enters Thursday’s matchup with Middle Tennessee State as Vanderbilt’s leading rebounder (7.4 per game). He also leads the ‘Dores with three double-doubles this season.
Drew says there is more to Roberson’s game than meets the eye. “He’s a lot stronger than what his size and weight would indicate,” Drew said. “He has long arms and a good instinct for the ball.”
Roberson’s efforts on the boards have come from necessity. Even with 7-foot-1 center Luke Kornet a key piece of the rotation, the Commodores are forced to play small ball with a roster that boasts just one other player — 6’10” redshirt freshman reserve Djery Baptiste — taller than 6’8”. Thus, Roberson often finds himself banging with more sizable big men.
But Roberson, whose 11.1 points per game ranks third on the ‘Dores, uses his so-called height disadvantage as a tool. He likes to take slower defenders out to the perimeter, where he’s shooting 38.5 percent on three-pointers this season. The junior uses his speed to gain better positioning on the block and slip ball-screens. Most importantly, Robertson asserts himself against bigger defenders with an aggressiveness that belies his stature.
“It’s about hitting first,” Roberson said. “It’s about preventing them from getting the ball, even if I don’t get the rebound.”
Drew’s teams were known for their defense at his former stop, Valparaiso. Now Vanderbilt’s first-year coach has been impressed with what Roberson brings to the Commodores, who rank fifth in the SEC in rebounding margin (+5.2).
“He doesn’t give up after the first attempt,” Drew said. “He’ll keep trying to get around his guy or keep his guy out until the possession’s complete. Plus, he does work early. You can’t wait until the shot is already up. He’s already anticipating what’s going to happen as the shots are going up.”
If Roberson’s rebounding average holds, he’d finish the season with Vanderbilt’s highest rebounding average since Anthony Williams (7.9) in 2001 – all as an undersized forward. But Roberson and the Commodores have plenty of season left on the docket as they inch closer to SEC play. Vanderbilt travels to Middle Tennessee State on Thursday for the start of a three-game swing to close out its nonconference slate. Then, the ‘Dores hit the road for their SEC opener against LSU in Baton Rouge on Dec. 29.
Now the double-double threat of Roberson stands to be a big part of Drew’s first season on campus. Well, maybe not that big – but just big enough for Vanderbilt in the post.
“As long as I’m getting rebounds,” Roberson said, “it works for us.”