Woodcreek's Tyrell Roberts finishes collegiate basketball career with USF Dons

Six years after helping lead the Woodcreek Timberwolves to the state championship game, Tyrell Roberts, 23, has completed his college basketball career at the University of San Francisco. Roberts earned First-Team All-West Coast Conference (WCC) in his senior season with the Dons while averaging 16.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. The Dons finished with a 20-14 record and made it to the semifinals in the West Coast Conference Tournament. Roberts has had quite the journey through the game of basketball and started playing competitively when he was about 4. In his final two years at Woodcreek High, Roberts averaged 11 points and 4.3 assists per game, earning All-Sierra Foothill League First-Team his senior season in 2017. The Timberwolves, led by Roberts and Jordan Brown at the helm, won the Sac-Joaquin Section and NorCal titles before losing the state championship game to Bishop Montgomery. Woodcreek High finished the season with a 32-3 record. "We put in the work and everything just clicked. It was a really special year," Roberts said. "That run meant a lot because it was my last year and some of the memories I have is beating Sheldon in Santa Clara for the Open Division title. Even the section title game was crazy, Jordan (Brown) iced free throws at the end of the game. I thought those moments were super special and really defining to me for that year." During high school, Roberts was also with Team Lillard Basketball which, according to its website, is "a non-profit organization that serves as a platform for student-athletes to develop their basketball talent and provide national exposure." "I would say Team Lillard was really a turning point in my basketball career," Roberts said. "Shoutout to coach Raymond Young. It taught me how to work hard consistently. The type of work was different and I made sure I was there putting in the work. Those guys always championed for me and talked to college coaches for me. I credit that for my work ethic and how I approach the game today." Following his high school career, Roberts started his collegiate career at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) where he redshirted his first season to get used to the college basketball environment and take time to build up his body. In the next two seasons, Roberts scored more than 1,000 points and averaged 16.5 points per game in 63 contests and shot more than 40 percent from the three-point line. Roberts was named the West Regional Player of the Year in the 2019-20 season and led the Tritons to a 30-1 record. "I learned a lot about what type of player I was and what work would get you if you consistently get at it," Roberts said. "Every year I was there, we won conference title." The Tritons defeated Cal Poly Pomona in the California Collegiate Athletic Association championship game. Prior to the start of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Tournament, the season was stopped, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "That time was definitely different and difficult but some of the most unique experiences in basketball," Roberts said. "I had a year to work on my game and myself. I went to a lot of pro runs and was around guys who've been around the business for a while. I'd say I experienced what that felt like and increased my game because we played against such higher level people over the course of that year." Roberts made the decision to opt out of the 2020-21 season and transferred to Washington State University to play with the Cougars for the 2021-22 season. "What made me transfer was I was playing against guys and I thought I was giving them some problems and thought I could really do something with this if I could get on a bigger stage," Roberts said. "I'll always have a piece of UCSD with me and even my coach agreed transferring was the best decision for me." The Cougars finished 22-15 and Roberts averaged 11.4 points per game with more than 92 percent shooting from the foul line. He shot nearly 37 percent from behind the arc in the National Invitation Tournament, a school record, as the Cougars advanced to the semifinals before falling to Texas A&M University at Madison Square Garden. Roberts once again chose to transfer to play his senior season at the University of San Francisco (USF) and was able to adjust and thrive in a new system. "It's just the way I approach things," Roberts said. "The mentality of working hard and with a chip on my shoulder and coming from Division II, I know nothing is given. Adjusting from Washington State to USF, a lot of things were similar with the practice structure and how they run their offense." While Roberts has traveled all over the West Coast to play for multiple colleges and has put up impressive numbers, he still doesn't forget about his family and friends back in Roseville. "It has been all love, my family and friends all support me," Roberts said. "Being this close to home this year, a bunch of my family came to games. It always played a part in who I've become and how I play. I can never forget those years, especially my senior year when the community came out and filled up the stands and Golden 1 Center." Roberts is a graduate student and earned a bachelor's degree in humanities. He has plans of playing basketball professionally, whether it be in the United States, or overseas. "I'm in the process of going through interviews with agents and picking what's best for me," Roberts said. "I'm going to play professionally. It's just a matter of where and how much. It's time to make money and keep doing what I love." During his free time, Roberts enjoys visiting coffee shops to read, hang out and grab a pastry. On weekends, Roberts will go to farmers' markets in San Francisco. Roberts has a piece of advice for athletes who want to continue their career at the next level: "You have to do the little things and have to do them every day," Roberts said. "Eventually, it adds up getting you to where you want to be. You may think it's boring but you have to hit singles every day to get you where you want to go."