EOC's Roberts Has Work Ethic
To Excel On And Off The Court

James Roberts is someone who welcomes challenges, whether it’s delving into one of his favorite courses like AP Physics or trying to lead his East Orange Campus basketball team to greater heights this season, which would be highlighted by a state sectional championship.

The 6-foot-2 junior guard has been a picture of consistency on the hardwood the past three seasons for Jaguars who will look to win a North 1, Group 4 title later this month after finishing as the runner-up the past two seasons, both times at Ridgewood.

“We’ve been there twice now, and after what we’ve built working together during the summer and fall; and, then taking the hard road with the type of schedule we face which better prepares us for this point of the season, I just believe it’s time for us to win it this time,” said Roberts, who carries an impressive 4.1 GPA in the classroom. “We have a talented and close-knit team with really good coaches, and we’re not afraid of anything we might see as look to be the best team we can be when it matters most.”

And Roberts is a picture of consistency for EOC with productivity in each of his first three seasons in the program, including his best all-around efforts to date while averaging 16.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game so far this winter.

During a recent stretch he had 23 points and 12 rebounds in a 76-42 win at Orange, then 17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in a 64-53 triumph over Bloomfield in the first round of the Essex County Tournament, which was followed by 23 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists, a block and 4 steals in a 69-40 rout of Bard, followed by a 21-point, 3-rebound, 3-assist, 2-steal effort in a 60-47 setback to conference rival Newark Tech.

For his efforts, the well-rounded Roberts is the latest Parisi Fairfield/Sideline Chatter Athlete of the Week.

Looking back at that consistency factor in his still-evolving scholastic career, the EOC junior standout hit for 16.9 ppg along with 5.6 rpg and 2.6 apg as a sophomore for the Jaguars which followed a solid 10.9 ppg his freshman season.

With 1,147 career points heading into this week, the star combo guard is on his way to become EOC’s all-time leading scorer while also demonstrating each day why he is not only a great teammate but also a joy to coach.

“James is special and a ‘throwback’ type of kid,” said EOC ninth-year head coach Gabe Baltimore. “Since my early coaching days at Irvington 23 years ago he’s definitely one of those rare student-athletes who only come along once in a long while.

“He’s got great balance in his life with his terrific abilities on the court and his 4.1 GPA in school, which is a tribute to his tremendous work ethic both on and off the court.   

“He comes in early in the morning for extra work on his game and strengthening his body, while also working on areas of his game where he still needs to improve.

“When I’m hard on him as a coach he accepts it and thrusts himself into working even harder. He’s being recruited by colleges like Princeton, Yale, Stanford and Lafayette and he definitely has a bright future in and out of basketball.”

For Roberts there are concrete areas and also the intangibles in his game and overall makeup which he has worked on, which go beyond his ability to drive with authority to the basket, rebound with players three or four inches taller, and be able to convert a 3-pointer or any perimeter shot with a high percentage.

“I like the chance to defend and try to stop the other team’s best player and also trying get to the rim with more authority, never be afraid of contact and be an initiator,” he said. “I’ve also embraced being a leader on this team in my third year with the varsity.

“I wasn’t a leader in the beginning as a younger player, but I’ve made it a point to step into that role this season, be more communicative with my teammates, and I’m enjoying the entire process of a season more than ever!”

His EOC teammates have also risen to the occasion this winter. Junior point guard Elijah Caldwell, who Baltimore calls ‘as tough as nails,’ continues to be a dynamic playmaker for the Jaguars, while sophomore Je ‘zi Lewis and junior Will Dyer, one of the team’s top defenders, join others such as senior Bashir Lucas and junior Stageon King to form one of the deeper backcourts in the ultra-tough Super Essex Conference-American Division.

Senior forwards Da’von Canzater and Azahn Collins have provided strong interior defense and solid rebounding. Collins has also worked hard on his body, trimming down from 265 to 230 pounds on his 6-foot-5 frame since transferring into EOC after Immaculate Conception in Montclair closed last June.

Baltimore, who grew up in Irvington and is a 1993 graduate of Roselle Catholic where he played for the highly-regarded coach Pat Hagan, went on to coach with another superb coach, Eugene ‘Bam’ Robinson at both Irvington and Columbia high schools before arriving at EOC to take the reins of the Jaguars in the 2017-2018 season.      

One of the staples for any Baltimore-coached EOC team is that it will face an arduous independent schedule in addition to whatever it regularly faces in its SEC division.

The Jaguars (12-11 overall, 2-7 in the SEC-American Division) were edged, 79-66, in double overtime, at undefeated, fourth-seeded Shabazz (22-0) in Saturday’s Essex County Tournament quarterfinals in Newark.

Despite that heartbreaking setback, EOC just gets back to business with eyes on another quest to win a N1G4 title. The Jaguars have defeated solid teams such as Piscataway, 74-53, and Ridgewood, 54-45, the latter victory which came in Essex Fest at Newark Tech.

They’ve also lost to state powers such as reigning Group 4 state champion Plainfield (55-45) and state-ranked Morris Catholic (86-68), all with the intent of getting more battle-tested by the stretch run of any campaign.

EOC battled hard once again before falling, 63-57, at Seton Hall Prep on Tuesday (Feb. 10).

“We are always trying to build and we choose to take the hard road with our schedule,” said Baltimore. “And, even if we don’t always get the result that we wanted, it’s all part of the process of preparing for that journey in the state tournament, and I know we’d all like to win a championship this time.

“Players like James, who takes on any role we ask him to fill, whether it’s as a shooting guard, a primary ball carrier or in defending the other team’s top scorer, sets the tone for us, and we know that we can count on him to help lead the way for this team, that’s for sure!”

NOTES- Roberts said he plans on studying economics in college with hopes to then pursue an MBA and one day work on Wall Street…One of his cousins, Brandon Green, is a former player at New Haven and Post University…Roberts has played for the Epic Elite 17-U AAU team and for the EBIL’s Scholars…His favorite NBA players include guards such as former Rutgers standout Dylan Harper (San Antonio Spurs), Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons), James Harden (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Luka Doncic (Los Angeles Lakers)…EOC, which finished 18-12 last winter lost 70-52 at Ridgewood in last season’s N1G4 title tilt following a much closer result the year before when the Maroons edged the Jaguars, 57-54, in the sectional final. EOC was 23-6 (10-3 in the SEC-American) in 2023-2024.

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