Roby soars towards sky-high potential at Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS - Glynn Watson drove into the lane and, without hardly even needing to look, tossed the ball towards the basket as Minnesota defenders closed in around him.
The ball sailed roughly two feet above the rim, and it briefly looked like an ill-advised turnover waiting to happen. That was until Isaiah Roby sailed through the air, caught the pass at its peak, and jammed it home for a highlight-reel alley-oop.
Few players in the Big Ten Conference would be capable of making that type of play, but it was just one of the latest examples of how uniquely gifted Nebraska’s sophomore forward could be.
Maybe the biggest thing holding Roby back from reaching his full potential the past two seasons has been self-confidence, but after a career-night in NU’s win at Minnesota on Tuesday, that hurdle may have finally been cleared.
After the game, senior guard Evan Taylor was asked about Roby’s performance vs. the Gophers. With Roby standing next to him during the interview, Taylor turned to the former four-star prospect with a question of his own.
“Were you surprised by how well you played?” Taylor asked Roby.
Roby smiled and shook his head.
“None of us are,” Taylor followed. “We see it in practice all the time. He’s growing and he’s getting better every day, and tonight was just a product of his hard work and dedication. He’s dedicated. He puts in a lot of time, so that’s what you’re seeing, a finished result.”
The 6-foot-8, 225-pound native of Dixon, Ill., ended up with a career-high 19 points and added team highs with eight rebounds and five blocks in 34 minutes of work.
The breakout effort came one game after being held scoreless at Wisconsin, where he fouled out after just 17 minutes on the floor.
Those up-and-down swings have been an issue for Roby throughout his young college career, but with every showing like the one he had vs. the Golden Gophers, the more excitement builds about just how good he could be once he puts it all together.
Another impressive aspect of Roby’s night in Minneapolis was that he was the primary defender on potential All-American Jordan Murphy.
While Murphy ended up with 22 points and 13 rebounds - a typical stat line for the star forward - Roby was able to go blow-for-blow with him the entire night. Roby even had a cut on his chin to show for it after the game.
“First of all, he had maybe the most difficult matchup in terms of you’ve got a powerful guy like Jordan Murphy, so you’re up against it there because he’s a walking double-double,” NU head coach Tim Miles said. “He reminds me of Charles Barkley. What are you going to do?
“But Robe’s just hung in there, and then he started blocking shots. It’s so impressive to me when he gets a rebound, busts out on the break, and he just looks like a gazelle out there. Not many guys in a lot of leagues can do that, and he does it as well as anybody.
“I thought he was just really good all night. He got the ball around the rim and made some tough finishes. We needed every bit of that Isaiah Roby tonight.”