Overview

A tri-captain in 2006-07, McRoberts joined Greg Paulus as the first two sophomores to earn that honor in Duke history. A versatile big man, McRoberts was considered by the Duke coaching staff to be one of the most skilled and athletic post players in the country. An outstanding passer, he also has the ability to bring the ball up the floor.

At Carmel High School, McRoberts was named the National High School Senior Athlete of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association. He won the 2005 Morgan Wootten Award as the McDonald's All-American Player of the Year and was a first-team Parade, EA Sports and USA Today All-American choice.

McRoberts was selected the MVP of the McDonald's All-American game after scoring 17 points on 7 of 8 shooting with a game-high 12 rebounds to lead the East squad to a 115-110 victory. He also participated in the Roundball Classic (West), finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three blocked shots in a 136-119 win over the East team. He led Carmel High in scoring and rebounding as a senior, averaging 17.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.9 blocked shots per game.

McRoberts shot .593 percent (166 of 280) from the field while guiding the Greyhounds to a 21-4 record and a trip to the sectional championship game in 2005. He was rated as the top High School player in the Class of 2005 by Scout.com and ranked second overall -- first among power forwards -- by Rivals.com. He was named the top-ranked senior by Bob Gibbons All-Star Report.

For his career, McRoberts collected 1,264 points, 759 rebounds, 255 assists and 259 blocks. He overcame an early season knee injury to average 16.8 points, 10.9 rebounds and five assists per game as a junior and was named the MVP at the 2004 Nike Camp in Indianapolis. The two-time Nike Camp All-American, three-time All-Conference, All-County and All-State selection averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots per game as a sophomore.

McRoberts also played for USA Basketball, helping the North team to a silver medal finish at the 2004 USA Youth Development Festival. He led the North squad in rebounding with 14.4 per game and field-goal percentage (.574, 27 of 47). His 14.4 rebounds per game was tops among all teams in the festival and the third-highest mark all-time in the event. He was also third on the North team in scoring at 14.8 points per game.

At Duke in 2005-06, McRoberts earned Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman team honors and was selected to the ACC All-Tournament second team. He played in all 36 contests, starting 31 times, showing his versatility by averaging 8.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. He was the team's third-leading scorer (312 points) and ranked second in rebounds (189) and blocked shots (46). He led the team with a .605 field-goal percentage (115 of 190), which ranks third all-time for a freshman at Duke (Christian Laettner shot .723 from the floor as a rookie to establish the mark in 1989).

McRoberts shot .664 from the charity stripe (77 of 116), as his 77 free throws made and 116 free-throw attempts ranked third on the squad. He reached double figures in scoring 15 times, the third-highest figure on the team, and was also credited with five double-digit rebounding efforts. He added two double-doubles and was only one of two Blue Devils to accomplish that (All-America Shelden Williams had 21). His 54 dunks were only four behind Williams' team-best 58.

The freshman led the team in rebounding four times. He pulled down 10 rebounds to go along with nine points and two assists against LSU in the NCAA Sweet 16 and recorded a season-high 13 rebounds with 14 points for his second career double-double against George Washington in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He blocked a career-high four shots to go along with eight points against Southern in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

As a sophomore, McRoberts recovered from back surgery performed in early August to be ready for the open of the 2006-07 season. He earned All-ACC second-team and ACC All-Defensive Team honors. He started 32 of 33 games, leading the team in minutes played (1,164), blocked shots (82) and rebounds (260; 7.9 rebounds per game). He ranked second on the squad with 114 assists and hit on 50.2 percent of his field goals (164 of 327) and 66.4 percent of his free throws (97 of 146) to finish second on the team with 430 points and a 13-point average. He also had 39 steals, but was charged with 83 fouls and had 80 turnovers.

McRoberts dished out a career-high eight assists to go along with seven points, eight rebounds and two steals against George Mason. He had seven assists, six points and five blocks against UNC-Greensboro, becoming just the fourth Blue Devil in Schoolhistory to record five or more assists and blocks in the same game. He scored 19 points and added a career-high six blocks, six rebounds, four assists and four steals against Kent State to became the first player in Duke history to record 15 or more points and four or more rebounds, blocks, steals and assists in the same game against the Golden Flashes.

McRoberts was named ACC Co-Player of the Week in early January after he grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds and added 15 points against San Jose State for his fourth career double-double. He also dished out five assists and had three blocks. He scored a career-high 21 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the field, including 1 of 2 shooting from 3-point distance, and 6 of 7 shooting from the foul line to go along with nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks against Temple.

The power forward posted his eighth career double-double and sixth of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds against Boston College, as he also dished out five assists and had three steals against the Eagles. In the opening round of the ACC Tournament, he scored 17 points on 8 of 13 shooting from the floor and 1 of 2 shooting from the charity stripe to go along with six rebounds, two assists and two steals against North Carolina State.

In late March, McRoberts declared himself eligible for the 2007 NBA Draft.

"I am extremely grateful for the opportunities that I have had here at Duke," said McRoberts. "This was a difficult decision, but I feel it is the best one for me and my family at this point in time. I will miss Duke, the coaching staff and my teammates but it has always been goal of mine to play in the NBA."

"In the past couple of days, I've had the opportunity to meet with Josh and his mother," said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. "We had great conversations and we are 100 percent behind his decision. Josh has been a terrific player for us for the past two years and he will be even better in the future as a professional. Based on our information, it is time for him to move on to the next level and we are ready to help him in any and every way during this process."

McRoberts started 63 times in 69 games at Duke. He appeared in 2,047 minutes of action, an average of 29.7 minutes per game. He was successful on 54 percent of his field goals (279 of 517), making 10 of 36 from 3-point range. He was good on 66.4 percent of his free throws (174 of 262) for a total of 742 points (10.8 per game). He snatched 449 rebounds, including 130 on the offensive boards, averaging 6.5 per contest. McRoberts doled out 167 assists (2.4 per game), had 80 steals and blocked 128 shots. He was also charged with 190 fouls and had 131 turnovers.

Scouting Report

Positives: Versatile left-handed shooter with a strong defensive Personal ity and the ability to log minutes at power forward or possibly center...Instinctive player with good court vision and passing ability, ranking second on the squad with 142 assists...Strong rebounder with good hands to catch or pass the ball...Strong cutting to the basket and gets the most out of his scoring activity in the paint...Puts the ball on the floor efficiently and has developed an effective jump hook...Demonstrates good quickness firing out his passes and works hard under the boards for the offensive rebound...Generates good explosiveness to finish around the basket...Has solid high-post skills and improved his ability to beat his man off the dribble...Demonstrates good court vision locating the open man with his passes...Is also quite effective with his passes in the half-court game, doing a nice job of needling the ball past double teams...Can shoot short jumpers with either hand in the low post, but feels more comfortable going to his right when in tight quarters, a unique trait for a left-handed player...When he sets his feet properly, he gets good elevation attacking the rim to block the shot...Lacks blazing speed, but moves around the court well for a player his size...Is most effective when taking the ball to the basket...When he times his leaps, he shows good form in setting his feet and elevating for the one-handed dunk...Works well passing the ball, especially working in unison with his guards on pick-and-roll plays...Works hard to gain position under the board for putbacks...Plays with good intensity and has very quick hands to alter the opponent's shot on drives into the passing lanes...Shows good body contortion going for the off-target rebounds and uses his large hands well to finish in transition...Has improved some in attempts to draw contact on the way to the basket...Uses his long reach well to go over the opponent in attempts to get a piece of the ball.

Negatives: Despite his size, he can be overmatched when working inside...Lacks the speed to play in an up-tempo attack...Good "soldier" but lacks the special ingredient needed to be the focus of the offense...His shooting range seemed to regress during his time at Duke and he has become a bit of a liability shooting from long range (5 of 23 from 3-point range last year)...Proved as a sophomore that he can't be a featured point to carry an offense (team ranked 106th in the nation in scoring)...Gets a little out of control running the floor and will disappear for long stretches, especially when he gets into foul trouble and loses a degree of aggressiveness...Effective at using his wingspan and reach on steals, but will hesitate a bit, allowing the defense to recover...Can be backed down in the post when combating more physical opponents (weight-room strength fails to translate to the court)...Will bite on pump fakes and lacks the agility to recover, as the opponent can then slash past him for the quick layup...Lacks the strength to handle the stronger power forwards along the perimeter...Has good leaping ability, but his timing is off at times, as he much rather go up for the ball than use his size to box out his man... Does not like playing with his back to the basket, as he shied away from contact at times in 2006-07, perhaps trying to protect his lumbar region that was operated on during the summer (also seemed to look very mechanical in his movement compared to previous seasons)...During his prep career, he was known for his long-range shooting ability, but his success on the perimeter in college was lacking...His jumper lacks the quick release and high arc needed to prevent from being blocked at the next level.

Compares To: BEN WALLACE, Chicago. Defensively, McRoberts is on par with Wallace in his on-court focus, as he's more comfortable in a complimentary role on offense. Whether it was back surgery or the system he played in, McRoberts did not look like the prolific scoring machine he was touted to be coming out of High School. He has great ball-handling skills for a big man, but will never be a go-to type on offense. He is too slow to play small forward at the next level and needs to add more strength to help him boxing out power forwards. He struggles with his back to the basket, but is capable of scoring with either hand from close range. Is somewhat similar in size and skills, at least defensively, to Troy Murphy, but lacks the mid-range jumper others have raved about. Duke players are a lot like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates -- you never know what to expect from them.

High School

Attended Carmel (Ind.) High School, earning National High School Senior Athlete of the Year honors from the National High School Coaches Association...Won the 2005 Morgan Wootten Award as the McDonald's All-American Player of the Year and was a first-team Parade, EA Sports and USA Today All-American choice...Rated as the top High School player in the Class of 2005 by Scout.com and ranked second overall -- No. 1 among power forwards -- by Rivals.com...The top-ranked senior by Bob Gibbons All-Star Report...Two-time Nike Camp All-American, and three-time All-Conference, All-County and All-State selection...Chosen to play in the McDonald's All-America game, earning MVP honors after scoring 17 points on 7 of 8 shooting with a game-high 12 rebounds to lead the East squad to a 115-110 win...Participated in the Roundball Classic (West), finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three blocked shots in a 136-119 win over the East team...Led Carmel High in scoring and rebounding as a senior, averaging 17.9 points to go along with 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.9 blocked shots per game...Shot an impressive .593 (166 of 280) from the field while guiding the Greyhounds to a 21-4 record and a trip to the sectional title game in 2005...For his career, McRoberts collected 1,264 points, 759 rebounds, 255 assists and 259 blocks...Overcame an early season knee injury to average 16.8 points, 10.9 rebounds and five assists per game as a junior and was named the MVP at the 2004 Nike Camp in Indianapolis...Averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots per game as a sophomore...Member of the Student Athletic Board at Carmel High.

Personal

Business major...Active in Duke's award-winning Verizon Read with the Blue Devils, a community outreach reading program in the Durham Schooldistrict...Also participated in the school's Junior Blue Devil Club Day presented to kids between the ages of 1-16 and mentored elementary and middle Schoolstudents in conjunction with the NCAA Stay in Bounds Ambassador Program...Son of Jennifer McRoberts...Born Joshua Scott McRoberts on 2/28/87 in Indianapolis, Indian...Resides in Carmel, Indiana.

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