KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Norm Roberts deserves some of the credit for the success Steve Lavin and his staff have enjoyed in a little over a year at St. John’s, the newly hired Florida assistant coach told The Post during the AAU Super Showcase at the ESPN Wide World of Sports.
“I look back at my time at St. John’s as I came in there when that place was in turmoil and left that place in very, very good shape — and I don’t think that can be denied by anybody,” Roberts said. “Basketball people know the job we did and how hard we worked.”
Roberts, who spent last season as a college basketball analyst for SNY, gave Lavin credit for leading the Red Storm to the NCAA tournament for the first time in nine years and forming the second-ranked recruiting class in the country. He also wasn’t surprised on either front.
Lavin, Roberts said, is a renowned recruiter who benefited from the program’s successful season. St. John’s didn’t have any injuries and Roberts described the group as a hungry bunch that had gone through their lumps. He also noted that the class improved every year under his watch, from struggling as freshmen, reaching the College Basketball Insider tournament as sophomores and the NIT as juniors.
“I was just really happy for those kids,” he said. “Those kids came to St. John’s when it wasn’t fashionable and those kids stuck together.”
Ironically, he is now competing against Lavin and Co. for the services of St. Anthony of Jersey City point guard Kyle Anderson, a 6-foot-8 point guard who is considering St. John’s, Florida, Seton Hall, Georgetown and UCLA.
Roberts said he is pleased with his current situation at Florida under two-time national champion Billy Donovan. He missed the game his one year at SNY and is refreshed now that he is involved again.
“Last year working at SNY was terrific, but I’ve been a basketball coach for 20 years and that’s what I wanted to do,” he said. “I love being at Florida.”