Recruiting Report: Nate Roberts (2018)

Yesterday when I caught up with 6'10 forward Nate Roberts at Team Melo's practice, he told me that he relates his game most to Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. For those who aren't familiar with Antetokounmpo, he is one of the sure-fired rising stars in the NBA who is freakishly long and versatile. Essentially, the guy is a cheat code on the basketball court. While Roberts still has a ton of time to grow his game before getting to that level, his length and size definitely reminds you of a younger Antetokounmpo. The former John Carroll star transferred to Brewster Academy (New Hampshire) and helped them to a perfect 33-0 record that included winning a national championship. Brewster is apart of the NEPSAC, which is considered as the top conference in the entire country. Roberts was an obvious standout during his days with John Carroll, but he spoke on the difference between the NEPSAC and MIAA yesterday: "I think the talent is better than the MIAA," Roberts told PrepHoops. "Guys on my team are all Division I guys. In the MIAA, you have maybe two or 3. When you have 13 Division I guys on one team, it's real competitive." The most notable player from the Baltimore area to attend Brewster is current Denver Nuggets guard Will Barton. Like Roberts, Barton's team won a national championship in his lone season at Brewster. Roberts has one more year under head coach Jason Smith and looks forward to extending his already long list of offers. Roberts currently holds offers from Clemson, Cincinnati, Kansas State, Massachusetts, Indiana, James Madison, Saint Joseph's, Connecticut, and Syracuse. He told me that Xavier, Purdue, South Carolina, Texas A&M, West Virginia, Florida, and Nebraska have all shown interest recently. Roberts is a nightmare for any player taking the ball to the rim. His length makes it extremely difficult to even get a shot at the rim without the lefty swatting it into the stands. His athleticism allows him to play smaller guards as well, which comes in handy in pick-and-roll situations if the guard can't fight over the screen. Offensively, he finishes efficiently around the basket. While the form on his shot looks a tad bit unorthodox, he has a soft touch from 15-20 feet out. Catching in the mid-post area is a great situation where he can utilize his long first step and activate his explosion to finish with a dunk. "I want to improve on my overall game and getting stronger," Roberts said. "I want to become more versatile. I'm pretty versatile already, but it's always good to become better at what you do." Expect Roberts to become a household name as this spring/summer and next high school season continues.