University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Terry Roberts
January 27, 2023 | Men's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Terry Roberts knows what you are going to think about when you find out he's from North Amityville, N.Y. Grisly true crime stories, tales of paranormal activity and a series horror films share the Amityville name, and even a local like Roberts isn't immune from curiosity.
But Roberts, a 6-foot-3 senior guard who transferred to Georgia from Bradley, is way more interested in basketball than potentially haunted houses. At Bradley last season, Roberts started all 31 games and averaged 14.5 points and 4.1 assists per game. In his first two SEC games for the Bulldogs, against Auburn and Florida, he scored a combined 51 points.
During a recent Quick Chat, Roberts talked about home, his first dunk, his love of a chopped cheese sandwich, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Who is the funniest person on the team?
Roberts: Ooh, I would probably say Justin Hill. He's just funny; everything he does is funny. He's just a funny guy [laughs].
Frierson: How valuable are those really funny guys during a season?
Roberts: Man, they're very valuable, especially somebody like J-Hill who just brings that energy up every time I see him. He just makes me happy.
Frierson: You're from North Amityville, which makes me think of the "Amityville Horror" movies and the true crime stories from there. Do you know much about all that stuff?
Roberts: Yeah, for sure. That house is in South Amityville but I know about it. It's real, it's a true story, a real house. I actually went over there a few times just to drive by it and see it. People live there — it's crazy.
Frierson: When you think of home what comes to mind?
Roberts: When I think of home, I think of park basketball and some food spots, like PDQ. There are some down South but not here. It's like Chick-fil-A but it's better. Any time I think about home, the first thing I think of is PDQ or chop cheese. We've got corner stores or delis that you don't see down here. They stay open 24 hours so it's cool for sure.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Roberts: Probably a chop cheese. New York food? Definitely a chop cheese. I could eat a chop cheese every day; I wish I knew how to make one [laughs]. I don't know, it's really like a burger on a hero (roll), but it's so much more. They put onions, peppers, lettuce and tomato, and I put honey mustard on mine. It's crazy good every time — every time.
Frierson: Did you play a bunch of different sports when you were young or was it all basketball?
Roberts: I grew up playing football, and I was better at football. My mom wanted me to stop because, up north isn't really like a football scene like it is here, and people get hurt playing football. My mom was like, "You're good at basketball, too, so just stick with basketball." I liked basketball and I stuck with it.
I started taking basketball serious, serious probably in my sophomore year of high school.
Frierson: When did you know you were good? When did you realize that you had a future in the sport beyond high school?
Roberts: I knew I was good early on because I had this trainer when I first started, he's trained a lot of professionals like Paul George and Kyle Kuzma, a lot of professionals, and he told me one day, he brought me in his office, and I didn't even go there to work out. He just sat me down, me and my mom, and he was telling me how good of a basketball player I was. And that I didn't know how good I was.
I started believing more and I was like, yeah, I can go somewhere.
Frierson: Do you remember your first dunk?
Roberts: I think I was in middle school. It was eighth grade and I had a tournament. We were playing in the park league and we were doing the layup lines. I always tried to dunk but I never could do it, and one time I went up and it went in. I was like, "Wow!" I kept trying it, kept trying to dunk, kept trying to dunk, and it became easier.
Frierson: Does it in some way open up a new world to you once you get that first one down?
Roberts: For sure. It was definitely something where I felt like I'd reached a different part of the game. Now I could just high so I felt like I could do everything.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Terry Roberts knows what you are going to think about when you find out he's from North Amityville, N.Y. Grisly true crime stories, tales of paranormal activity and a series horror films share the Amityville name, and even a local like Roberts isn't immune from curiosity.
But Roberts, a 6-foot-3 senior guard who transferred to Georgia from Bradley, is way more interested in basketball than potentially haunted houses. At Bradley last season, Roberts started all 31 games and averaged 14.5 points and 4.1 assists per game. In his first two SEC games for the Bulldogs, against Auburn and Florida, he scored a combined 51 points.
During a recent Quick Chat, Roberts talked about home, his first dunk, his love of a chopped cheese sandwich, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Who is the funniest person on the team?
Roberts: Ooh, I would probably say Justin Hill. He's just funny; everything he does is funny. He's just a funny guy [laughs].
Frierson: How valuable are those really funny guys during a season?
Roberts: Man, they're very valuable, especially somebody like J-Hill who just brings that energy up every time I see him. He just makes me happy.
Frierson: You're from North Amityville, which makes me think of the "Amityville Horror" movies and the true crime stories from there. Do you know much about all that stuff?
Roberts: Yeah, for sure. That house is in South Amityville but I know about it. It's real, it's a true story, a real house. I actually went over there a few times just to drive by it and see it. People live there — it's crazy.
Frierson: When you think of home what comes to mind?
Roberts: When I think of home, I think of park basketball and some food spots, like PDQ. There are some down South but not here. It's like Chick-fil-A but it's better. Any time I think about home, the first thing I think of is PDQ or chop cheese. We've got corner stores or delis that you don't see down here. They stay open 24 hours so it's cool for sure.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Roberts: Probably a chop cheese. New York food? Definitely a chop cheese. I could eat a chop cheese every day; I wish I knew how to make one [laughs]. I don't know, it's really like a burger on a hero (roll), but it's so much more. They put onions, peppers, lettuce and tomato, and I put honey mustard on mine. It's crazy good every time — every time.
Frierson: Did you play a bunch of different sports when you were young or was it all basketball?
Roberts: I grew up playing football, and I was better at football. My mom wanted me to stop because, up north isn't really like a football scene like it is here, and people get hurt playing football. My mom was like, "You're good at basketball, too, so just stick with basketball." I liked basketball and I stuck with it.
I started taking basketball serious, serious probably in my sophomore year of high school.
Frierson: When did you know you were good? When did you realize that you had a future in the sport beyond high school?
Roberts: I knew I was good early on because I had this trainer when I first started, he's trained a lot of professionals like Paul George and Kyle Kuzma, a lot of professionals, and he told me one day, he brought me in his office, and I didn't even go there to work out. He just sat me down, me and my mom, and he was telling me how good of a basketball player I was. And that I didn't know how good I was.
I started believing more and I was like, yeah, I can go somewhere.
Frierson: Do you remember your first dunk?
Roberts: I think I was in middle school. It was eighth grade and I had a tournament. We were playing in the park league and we were doing the layup lines. I always tried to dunk but I never could do it, and one time I went up and it went in. I was like, "Wow!" I kept trying it, kept trying to dunk, kept trying to dunk, and it became easier.
Frierson: Does it in some way open up a new world to you once you get that first one down?
Roberts: For sure. It was definitely something where I felt like I'd reached a different part of the game. Now I could just high so I felt like I could do everything.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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