Former Bulldog Jaleel Roberts Invited to NBA Training Camp

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Former UNC Asheville men's basketball player Jaleel Roberts made a name for himself by being a defensive terror in the paint for the Bulldogs. The 7-footer is using that same drive and work ethic at the next level, as he has been invited to NBA Training Camp with the Washington Wizards.

Roberts, who also played on the Wizards' summer league team in Las Vegas, becomes the first player in UNC Asheville men's basketball program history to receive an NBA Training Camp invite.

“I am up for the challenge,” Roberts said. “I consider myself a defensive player and I am hungry to continue to improve and adjust to the faster pace of the game.”

“Jaleel has put in a lot of hard work in the weight room and countless hours in the gym by himself to earn this great opportunity,” Asheville head coach Nick McDevitt stated. “We have had a lot of great players over the years here and for Jaleel to be the first to be part of an NBA Training Camp says a lot about who he is and how he has developed as a player.”

“We are certainly proud of what he did for us here for four years at UNC Asheville and are proud of him for this accomplishment. We hope training camp goes well and wish him continued success as he begins his professional playing career,” McDevitt added.

Roberts' journey to Training Camp this fall began back before the Bulldogs' season ended – and almost included a trip to Bulgaria to play overseas instead.

Summer League

Members of the Wizards scouting department had been to several Asheville games to see Roberts play, and contacted the big man's agent and offered him a spot on their summer league team – a roster filled with younger players, from the team's first round draft picks down to invited free agents. Roberts traveled up to Washington for workouts leading up to the trip to Las Vegas, going through two-a-day practices.

“I knew not everyone was going to make it (to Las Vegas),” Roberts said. “I worked hard with the coaching staff before and after practice and they were able to see me develop.”

While Roberts didn't play much in the Las Vegas games themselves, he didn't let that get him down and instead continued to improve and work with the team's coaches in their daily practices throughout the Summer League.

“After Summer League, Tommy Sheppard (Wizards' Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations) got in touch with my agent about the second camp in Vegas. They thought it would be good for my continued development,” stated Roberts.

The second camp is not publicized and featured no media members, just young players and coaches looking to improve.

“In the second camp, I was able to work with coaches from different teams, including Oklahoma City and Memphis, in addition to the Wizards' staff, and was able to continue to develop in front of all of them.”

The second camp featured morning practices and afternoon pickup-style games with players meshed together from different organizations placed on teams.

“Summer League I didn't really play, but in the second camp they saw me take it to another level,” Roberts said. “I was showing off things that I had been working with coaches on.”

Overseas…almost

Following the two stints in Las Vegas, Roberts fielded different offers from overseas teams, and nearly signed with a team out of Bulgaria before deciding not to commit.

Because he had the opportunity to work with coaches from multiple organizations in the second camp, Roberts had several teams, including the Wizards, interested in his services.

Ultimately, the Wizards decided that they had invested too much in Roberts already – through mini camp and the two Las Vegas sessions – to let him sign with another team, and offered him an invite to the team's Training Camp later this fall.

“My initial thoughts were 'What can I do to make the roster?'” Roberts said. “I have a list of things they gave me to continue to work on. Right now I am trying to get in the best shape I can and do everything they want me to do.”

Roberts will soon travel to Malaysia to play in a tournament there, using that as a way to continue to expose himself while preparing for the Wizards' training camp.

Asheville Advantage

The journey to NBA Training Camp hasn't been a short process for Roberts, who acknowledged and was thankful for his time in Asheville as a way to prepare himself for this next step.

“Coach (Brett) Carey helped me out a lot. He worked with us big men, and we worked on similar-type stuff all throughout school with the spacing we used in Asheville,” Roberts said.

The Bulldogs play an offense that included spacing similar to NBA styles, something Roberts says has helped him adjust and adapt to different drills and workouts in camps this summer.

A Different Game

While some things translated over from college to the NBA, there are differences Roberts has had to learn.

“The speed of the game is just so much faster. One mistake and guards capitalize on every little thing.”

Roberts will continue to work on his 'homework' and continue to improve on his strengths like his quickness and footwork to be able to run the floor well and rebound.

He will also work on the mental aspect of the game.

“I am here to learn. I kept telling myself at the second camp that I couldn't get frustrated. I know what I deserve and what I am here to achieve. I will keep learning and getting better. It is all about the process.”

Roberts will continue to push himself, stating that he will be going up to Washington early before training camp officially starts to continue to get work in with coaches.

While a roster spot is not guaranteed coming out of training camp, Roberts has visions in front of him.

“In an ideal situation, I'll be on the Wizards roster, playing in that first game against Orlando. I think that's something that I can do.”

“I don't want to get my hopes up, but I also don't think that they would invest this much time in me up to this point if they didn't see something in me.”

One thing will surely happen throughout the coming weeks – Roberts will work hard.

“I have never worked hard in basketball or in school and seen something bad happen,” he said.

“Basketball is a beautiful game. When you work hard, good things happen.”