March 22, 2007

By DAMON L. SAYLES / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS - John Roberson's full name is John Daniel Roberson IV. The Plano senior guard said he never considered using the name suffix until after he started following Texas A&M guard Acie Law IV, SportsDay's Big 12 Player of the Year.

"When I saw Acie's jersey, it had 'Law IV' on the back," Roberson said. "Had we made state, we would have had our names on the back of our jerseys. I think my jersey would have said 'Roberson IV.' I mean, why not?"

The two won't get a chance to play each other in Big 12 competition next season; Law's a senior at A&M, and Roberson will be a freshman next season at Texas Tech. Both, however, share the passion for hitting the big shot.

Roberson and Law even share similar nicknames. Law's teammates call him "Captain Clutch." Roberson likes to be called "Mr. Clutch," which is embroidered on his letterman's jacket.

Roberson earned that nickname after connecting on nearly 70 percent of his shots in the fourth quarter.

"John's the biggest winner I've ever coached in my life," Plano coach Tom Inman said. "On an individual level, I've never seen a guy this good on this level anywhere.

"Collectively, you have to find a way to replace him, but we'll never run this many ball screens for another guy again. I don't know if the metroplex will ever see another John Roberson."

Roberson moved in from Florida as a junior and led Plano to a 29-8 record and its first state championship last season. Plano finished 26-8 and advanced to the Region II quarterfinals this season.

Roberson helped silence critics who thought Plano would have a down season without the likes of Joseph Fulce and Eric Zastoupil, key players in the team's 2006 run. Roberson improved his scoring from 17.4 points per game last season to 25.4 points, tops among area 5A players.

Roberson also averaged 6.1 assists, which ranked sixth among area 5A players.

"My scoring was up, but I think I was a better point guard this year," Roberson said. "I had to put up with all the double teams aimed at me, but it helped me get my teammates more involved."

Roberson will leave Plano with a similar sense of accomplishment that Law has at A&M. Both helped start a basketball legacy at schools with healthy football traditions.

"Someday, I hope to get to his level," Roberson said of Law. "Right now, I'm just working on getting some playing time at Tech."