Neil Roberts (basketball)

Neil Roberts
Roberts, circa 1967
Biographical details
Born (1945-05-08) May 8, 1945 (age 79)
Cedar City, Utah, U.S.
Playing career
1964–1967BYU
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1978–1985Dixie State
1988–1992Southern Utah
Head coaching record
OverallHigh School: 172–38 (.819)
NCAA: 54–51 (.514)

Neil Roberts (born May 8, 1945) is an American former basketball coach who coached at both Dixie State and Southern Utah.[1][2]

Playing career

Roberts played college basketball at BYU from 1964 to 1967.[3][4] He was named Look Magazine All-American in 1967.[1]

Coaching career

Roberts' coaching career would begin in the high school ranks, notably at Skyline High School, where he won two state championships.[1] He compiled a 172–38 overall record as a high school coach.[5] In 1978, Roberts would accept the head coaching position at then-NJCAA program Dixie State. He remained with the Trailblazers until 1985, making three national tournaments and winning the 1985 NJCAA Division I championship.[6] After a brief hiatus from coaching, Roberts would become the head coach at Southern Utah, helping guide its transition from NCAA Division II to Division I. He served as coach until 1992, ending with a 54–51 record. Roberts resigned as coach during the 1991–92 season after being accused of shoplifting a $30 necktie.[5] He was replaced by Bill Evans.

Head coaching record

NCAA D1

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Southern Utah (Independent) (1988–1992)
1988–89 Southern Utah 10–18
1989–90 Southern Utah 13–15
1990–91 Southern Utah 16–12
1991–92 Southern Utah 15–6‡
Southern Utah: 54–51 (.514)

‡ Resigned midseason

Total: 0–0 (–)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. ^ a b c "Neil Roberts (2007) - Hall of Fame". Dixie State University Athletics.
  2. ^ "Neil Roberts Coaching Record". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  3. ^ "Neil Roberts College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  4. ^ "Neil Roberts Athlete Profile - MBKB".
  5. ^ a b Robinson, John (February 9, 1992). "Roberts Resigns As SUU Coach To End Turmoil". Deseret News. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  6. ^ "Men's Basketball 1984-85 (2012) - Hall of Fame". Dixie State University Athletics.