Roberts’ Parting Was Sweet Sorrow

Lawrence Roberts says he still loves Baylor and the two seasons he played there.

But as he and the closest of his teammates talked last summer, they came to the same realization: It was time to leave.

“It would have been tough,” Roberts said. “That was at the time when everything was unraveling. Everything was coming down.”

One player, Patrick Dennehy, had been killed. A former teammate, Carlton Dotson, was charged with his murder, and the coach, Dave Bliss, resigned amid a swirl of ethical and NCAA violations.

“We talked to each other and we all had that look, like we didn’t know what was going on and we were not sure we wanted to return,” Roberts said. “Probation was coming down. You could see in our eyes that we were scared for our careers. We kind of leaned on each other and did what was best for our careers and came to the decision.”

Roberts left for Mississippi State, and Tuesday night he and his then-unbeaten teammates were one last-second play from upsetting fifth-ranked Kentucky.

Come March, he’ll almost certainly be playing in the NCAA tournament, as will two other former Baylor teammates, John Lucas III, who transferred to Oklahoma State and leads the Big 12 Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio, and Kenny Taylor, a key reserve at Texas.

Back at Baylor, which is down to only five scholarship players, the Bears are 5-9 and only beginning the hardest part of the season, a grueling tour through the Big 12 that began with a 79-57 loss to Texas.

“It’s still a tough situation. My heart goes out to them,” Roberts said.

At Mississippi State, Roberts quickly emerged as his new team’s leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 16.7 points and 11 rebounds for a team that started 13-0.

Against Arkansas last week, he had a 29-point, 11-rebound performance in which he made 11 of 18 shots, didn’t miss from the free-throw line, grabbed seven offensive rebounds and blocked a shot.

The Bulldogs, ranked No. 20, rallied from a 16-point deficit to take a 66-65 lead against Kentucky on Tuesday before the Wildcats’ Erik Daniels grabbed a tipped pass and scored on a layup just before the buzzer.

“It’s a tough loss. We’ve just got to put it behind us,” Roberts said.

Though the performance might have legitimized the Bulldogs’ record somewhat in the eyes of others, Roberts said, “we’re still not getting the respect that we should be. We know we’re a good ballclub. We know we can compete with anybody. We just had a bad start [against Kentucky] and an unfortunate ending.”

Faced with a pressing need to decide about transferring last summer -- and without all the information available yet -- Roberts picked Mississippi State, a team in need of a big man after Mario Austin turned pro early.

Though the NCAA later decided to waive requirements that transfers sit out a year because of the unusual situation at Baylor, Roberts decided it was wisest to choose a school outside the Big 12 to ensure he wouldn’t lose a year of eligibility.

“It was the fit too,” he said. “They had lost a key part of their program, and I’m always looking for teams trying to make a name for themselves -- a good team that just hasn’t gotten over the hump. I’m trying to help get us over the hump.”

In the process, it has made it easier for him to leave the past behind.

“The whole time, it was like, ‘This can’t be happening to us.’ It’s the kind of stuff you see on TV,” he said. “It started getting bigger and bigger and became overwhelming. It was so close to home, a guy you played with and another you looked forward to playing with and had been practicing with, hanging out with. It took its toll.

“I hope Baylor bounces back from this. That’s the biggest thing. I hope this isn’t too hard a blow. I wouldn’t change my first two years. I hated that I had to leave in a situation like that.”

Cardinal Virtues

Count Arizona Coach Lute Olson among those impressed by Stanford’s combination of depth, savvy, shooting ability and yes, athleticism after the Cardinal defeated Arizona last week.

“They have better athletes now than what they’ve had on some of their other teams,” Olson said. “Justin Davis is as athletic a [power forward] as there is in the conference, and Josh Childress is as athletic a [small forward] as there is in the conference.

“They still have the great perimeter shooting from [Matt Lottich] and the leadership from [Chris] Hernandez at the point, and then there is [Rob] Little, a big-body banger who keeps the pressure on you all the time.

“The fact they are as experienced as they are, and you take that group of five with a good solid bench that goes nine or 10 deep. They’re going to be hard for anyone to deal with.

“There will be an occasional game they’re off, like Arizona State really had them but made some critical mistakes down the stretch. But there aren’t going to be a lot of teams that have that opportunity, in my opinion. They’re talented, they’re well-coached and they’ve got the experience to go with the talent.”

Farewell, Springy Floor

The famously bouncy floor in Maples Pavilion is in its final season, with Stanford planning to install a traditional floor during a $30-million renovation after the season.

“It’s however many years old. I think it’s served us well,” Coach Mike Montgomery said. “We’re just going to change the floor and put a new one in there in the process.”

The major renovation will include a new concourse, theater-style seats to replace the bleachers in a new lower bowl as well as new locker rooms and other team facilities.

The quirky Maples Pavilion floor has been blamed for everything from missed free throws as students taunted opponents by jumping up and down to an unusually high incidence of foot injuries among Stanford men’s and women’s players.

“There was never conclusive evidence, but a lot of people pointed in that direction,” Stanford spokesman Bob Vazquez said.

Because of the renovations, Stanford will play its nonconference men’s and women’s basketball games at nearby Santa Clara University next season, with Maples Pavilion scheduled to reopen in time for the Pacific 10 Conference season.