How former NBA stopper Andre Roberson regained his form for Colorado alumni TBT run

Since revamping the Colorado alumni team in The Basketball Tournament, Andre Roberson has been the first call every summer for head coach Zach Ruebesam.

The timing had never worked out — until this year.

“I told Zach, ‘I’ll give you one year,’” said Roberson, a seven-year NBA veteran. “So right now, we’re playing like this is our last time and we’re going to try to win it all.”

Led by the former all-defensive NBA player, Team Colorado has engineered back-to-back upsets over the home-state teams, including a win over the top-seeded AfterShocks, to advance to Wednesday’s 8 p.m. regional championship against Mass Street, a Kansas alumni team, at Koch Arena.

Roberson scored the Elam Ender in an opening-round 71-67 win over Purple Reign, then pumped in a game-high 22 points to practically will the Buffalo alumni group to a shocking 65-61 win to send the AfterShocks to their earliest TBT exit since 2019. Never known for his outside shooting, Roberson also drilled three 3s against the AfterShocks.

On top of all of that, the 6-foot-7 wing has been downright dominant on the defensive end.

“Andre Roberson is the best defender in the TBT,” said Ruebesam, who doubles as Colorado’s player development coach under former WSU assistant Tad Boyle. “There is a reason why he was chasing Steph Curry around screens for all those years. He can still play at a really high level.”

Roberson’s length, athleticism and commitment to defense made him a staple to the Oklahoma City Thunder teams with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. In the 2016-17 season, he was voted second-team all-defense and finished fifth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Despite averaging 4.6 points during his Thunder career, Roberson carved out an important role for one of the best teams in the league because of his defense.

“Defense has always been something that I can control,” Roberson said. “Offense, it’s about rhythm and you can’t always control making and missing shots. But for me, I can always control my effort when I go out there by playing hard and locking in to scouting reports and making it tough for guys.”

Roberson’s career took a turn on Jan. 27, 2018, when he elevated to catch a lob and ruptured his patellar tendon in his left knee. Complications arose following surgery and his initial timetable of returning in November 2018 turned into him missing the entire 2018-19 season following several setbacks.

He played seven games for the Thunder during the 2019-20 season, then five games for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2020-21 season. After taking a year off, he played a handful of games for the Thunder affiliate Oklahoma City Blue in the G League and did not play anywhere professionally this past season.

Not only has the 32-year-old returned to the court this week in Wichita, he has made his presence felt on both ends. After what he has overcome, that means a lot to Roberson.

“The ultimate goal is to get back to the NBA, but if it doesn’t work out, I know I had a great career and I fulfilled my dream,” Roberson said. “I just wanted to get back on path (in TBT) and get some fulfillment. I’ve been healthy and trying to get back out there and playing hard before I hang them up.”

Watching Roberson’s form in Wichita, it’s hard to believe it’s been six years since his last significant role in the NBA.

In the first round against Purple Reign, former K-State star Jacob Pullen made his first four shots of the game before Roberson made it his mission to turn off the faucet. Pullen didn’t make a field goal the rest of the game, missing all eight shots.

When the AfterShocks pulled in front by 11 in the third quarter of Monday’s game, it was Roberson who helped bring Team Colorado back to life with his smothering defense that led to several easy baskets. He scored six points during a 17-0 run that flipped the game in his team’s favor for good.

“It’s incredibly satisfying to watch him do it against somebody else,” Team Colorado teammate Joshua Adams said. “He has got go-go-gadget arms. You think you’re by him and it turns out you’re not. After going against him the last couple of days in practice, it’s personally very satisfying to see him lock other people up now.”

Roberson said he feels satisfied with his basketball career regardless of what the future holds. Before his tenure in the NBA, he helped lead Colorado to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances and won the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year during his three-year career from 2010-13.

To be back playing with fellow Colorado alumni like George King, D’Shawn Schwartz, Shannon Sharpe, Daylen Kountz, Shane Gatling and Evan Battey, he has cherished his time so far in Wichita.

And he knows the further Team Colorado advances, the closer they come to the $1 million prize — and the more persuasive his case becomes for some team to take a chance on him again.

But first, he must get past another former Big 12 rival on Wednesday.

“We’re the Buffaloes man, this is what we do,” Roberson said. “We’re going to go out there and play hard. This is what we live and die for. They’re a great team and they’ll have a great crowd, but we’re really good too.”