Sunday, February 10, 2013
'Amazing' day for 2015 lineman
By Mason Kelley
Henry Roberts (Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue) was on his way to get a hot dog when Washington coach Steve Sarkisian pulled him aside.
“Hey, come over here,” Sarkisian said.
The coach and the 6-foot-5, 240-pound sophomore lineman, who was on campus for Washington's junior day, walked into Alaska Airlines Arena. They stood and talked near the basketball floor. Roberts asked Sarkisian about his family. Then the coach asked Roberts to go get his parents, Bryan and Laine.
“I thought he was going to give me a nice compliment in front of my parents, then he said, ‘The reason I brought all you guys here is because I want to offer Henry a full-ride scholarship to UW.’”
Roberts' parents went to Washington. Roberts said his father, a die-hard Huskies fan, had tears in his eyes. His mother didn’t know what to say.
“It was amazing,” Roberts said. “It honestly felt like I was dreaming. It just made the junior day an even better experience than it was.”
The Huskies made sure Roberts knows he is part of the program’s plans for the future.
“It means that the hard work is paying off,” Roberts said. “Then again, you have to keep being motivated to keep getting more offers. I’m still two years away from signing day, so I’ve just got to keep being motivated, keep working harder.”
Washington is the first program to offer Roberts a scholarship. While talking about the offer, Roberts thanked his coaches at Bellevue. He said they have helped him get to where he is today and where he will one day be in the future.
While Roberts is excited and thankful to have his first offer, he wants it to be the first of many. It is going to push him to work harder.
“When you’re hungry and you get a taste of the food, you’re going to want to keep eating,” Roberts said. “I definitely want to keep working harder.”
