Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 20, 1992 TAG: 9202200507
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: PHYLLIS A. FAIR SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A TERRIER TERROR BYRD'S DAVID ROBERTSON IS TOUGH TO HANDLE ON THE INSIDE
WELCOME to Mr. Robertson's neighborhood.That is William Byrd's David Robertson's neighborhood.
Robertson, who was one of Timesland's sizzling sophomores last year, is one of the area's most consistent and all-around basketball players and the Terriers' powerful inside force.
Last year as a sophomore Robertson averaged 12 points and seven rebounds.
This season, the 6-4, 205-pound junior center is averaging 20 points per and 9.6 rebounds per game, which puts him in the Timesland's top 10 in both categories. He has the fourth best field goal percentage in the area at 64.3, and is in the top 25 in free throw percentage at 75.6.
On Jan. 28, Robertson scored a season-high 29 points against Blue Ridge District rivals Lord Botetourt. He also is the No. 2 scorer in the district behind Botetourt's Bobby Prince.
Northside coach Billy Pope said Robertson has excellent skills.
"I think he's definitely one of the best post men in the area. He has a good feel for the game. He seems to do things instinctively. He knows where the defense is. He's the kind of guy who can change the course of a game," Pope said.
Robertson is a proven scorer because he has developed more confidence in his offensive abilities, Pope said.
"He has a good touch around the basket," he said. "If you're not aware of him, he'll have 25-30 points without batting an eye. He has a good-fade away shot which is a tough shot for high school. It's a shot that comes later on."
According to William Byrd coach Paul Barnard, the reasons for Robertson's emergence are simple.
"He's good. It's not because he's gifted," Barnard said. "It comes from hard work and working in the off-season."
In the off-season, Robertson is the starting center for the AAU Roanoke Valley Squires basketball team, which is something he has done for the past three summers.
Playing for the team has been a challenge for Robertson, and it has improved his game because of the competition level.
Last year the team, which consists of several of the area's top stars, played teams throughout the country and finished ninth in the nation.
The competition isn't restricted to his opponents. It also carries over into practice, which is something he has had to adjust to.
For William Byrd, he is the standout - not so for the Squires. He's just one of their many talented players, but he understands his role and accepts it.
"On there, I'm not looked to score all the time like here," Robertson said.
Barnard said playing AAU has been good for him.
"He doesn't have to be a 20-point scorer," Barnard said. "He can be a passer. We depend on him to get the rebounds and points."
Botetourt's Prince said he and Robertson are a lot alike.
"He's not flashy, but David gets the job done," Prince said. "He takes advantage of what he has. He doesn't try to do anything he can't do. He always working on his game and skills to be the best he can be."
His AAU coach, Lacy Dudley, said since Robertson joined the team his skills have improved tremendously.
"He seems stronger, wanting to play and trying harder," Dudley said. "The first year or so he was tentative. [Now] He can play with anybody on the high school level in this area."
In addition to playing on the AAU team, Robertson attended a Big Men's camp for centers at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in order to improve his game.
"I learned to be aggressive, go after loose balls, staying down on defense - basically never giving up," he said.
Those skills have carried over into his game this season.
He is pounding the boards and muscling his opponents for position in order to get off the good shot.
"I knew I would get my points off of rebounds," Robertson said. "[But] you don't always have to get the ball passed to you to score points."
Barnard said rebounding and scoring are definitely the best parts of Robertson's game, but he still needs to improve them.
"He needs to go up in rebounding to about 13 a game and work on his outside shot," he said. "He has a good 14-foot shot. He needs to expand it to 18-19 feet."
Not does Robertson want to increase his rebound average to double digits but, "I would like to play in college, but I don't know what division," he said. "I always watch TV and say I would like to be there. I got the grades where I don't have to depend on basketball to get me in college. [But] I would like to play there."