Terrence Roberts, the high school senior that Syracuse has long targeted as its final recruit for 2003, told The Daily Orange last night that he plans to call the Orangemen today and commit to SU. Later in a 10-minute conversation, Roberts said he was 99.5 percent sure.

‘It’s Syracuse,’ Roberts, from St. Anthony’s High in Jersey City, N.J., said of his pick. ‘I’m going to call (assistant coach Mike) Hopkins (today) and tell him.

“I’m going to call him (this) afternoon and surprise him.”

Roberts, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound power forward, ranked by many recruiting experts as a top-10 player at his position, still wanted approval from St. Anthony’s head coach Bob Hurley before speaking with Hopkins or SU head coach Jim Boeheim.

‘The chances are like 99.5 (percent that I’ll commit to SU),’ Roberts said. ‘I still have to talk to my high school coach.’

Should the decision come today, Roberts will be added to an impressive recruiting class that already features Demetris Nichols, a small forward from St. Andrew’s in Barrington, R.I., and Louie McCroskey, a shooting guard from St. Raymond’s in the Bronx.

Roberts was also recruited heavily by Virginia and Maryland, but he felt slighted by the Terps when they offered fellow big man Ekene Ibekwe a scholarship before hearing a final decision from Roberts.

‘They wanted me to commit right away, and I wasn’t ready,’ Roberts said. ‘Now they missed out.’

In the past, Roberts has commended the Syracuse coaching staff for the dedication it has shown in making him the team’s first recruiting priority. Syracuse was the first school to show serious interest in Roberts, he said.

Roberts visited Syracuse the weekend of Sept. 13-15. Along with Hopkins and point guard Billy Edelin, Roberts toured the campus and attended an SU football game.

‘Syracuse is really the only school that’s stuck with me,” Roberts said. “I enjoyed my visit there, and I just think that the situation is a good fit for me.’

Published on October 15, 2002 at 12:00 pm