After Yigit Akgunlu graduated following last season and moved on to play for college basketball at Benedictine, Reavis was in need of a scorer,
Up stepped Nikko Roberts.
The senior was a standout receiver for the Rams’ playoff-qualifying football team in the fall, and now he’s providing steady offense for the basketball squad.
Roberts and Arafat Alsharif each scored 12 points, and Roberts grabbed five rebounds, as Reavis held on for a 47-46 road win against Hancock on Jan. 22.
Damarion Dixon added eight points for the Rams, including the decisive free throw to break a 46-46 tie in the closing seconds.
Sophomore Jayden Harris scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead Hancock (11-12), which rallied from 10 down in the third quarter to push Reavis to the limit.
“He is an extremely good athlete,” Rams coach Nick Bouhoutsos said of Roberts. “On the football field, he was a great deep threat for us. Played both ways as well.
“But on the basketball court, he’s our most reliable defender, our most reliable scorer. … So yeah, he’s been rock solid for us.”
Roberts, a 6-4 guard, knew he’d be relied on to score more this season so he went to work during the offseason.
In what areas did he seek improvement?
“Definitely my shooting,” he said. “I feel like I’m a drive-first person so I need to work on my 3-point (shot) a little more and be confident in my shot.”
It’s a mental task as well as a physical one.
“It’s coming along pretty good,” Roberts said. “I just need to trust in myself. At times, I get a little less confident. But I feel if I trust myself, I can make anything.”
He doesn’t feel the need to shoulder all the offensive load himself and is happy to spread it around with some experienced teammates.
“Me, Nick Pryor, Arafat Alsharif, even our point guard, Damarion Dixon,” Roberts said, ticking off the Rams’ scoring options. “All of us, basically. It’s a team effort, a team game.”
Alsharif, in particular, stepped up against Hancock by going 4-for-7 from 3-point range.
“That’s pretty much what he does,” Bouhoutsos said. “He’s our charge taker, too. He’s willing to put his body on the line, which is pretty cool. Those guys are few and far between. … But he loves doing the dirty work.”
Roberts still is the Rams’ most consistent and productive scorer, averaging around 13 points a game.
Soon he’ll be facing a choice of what sport to pursue at the next level. A basketball player since his elementary-school days, Roberts only started playing football as a junior.
But he has Division I interest in the latter sport from Valparaiso and also has talked to some Division II schools.
Right now, he’s leaning toward playing college football, but is open to basketball if the right situation comes along.
In the meantime, he’s trying to help the Rams (6-12 through last week) finish strong.
“We feel like we’ve had our lows, but we’re coming together as a team,” Roberts said.