Getting noticed big-time

The days of sneaking up on opponents are over.

Brett Roseboro was once an unheralded post player for the Quakertown boys' basketball team.

Now, he's the answer to this trivia question: Who's the first Panther to sign a Division I scholarship in at least 26 seasons?

With that comes attention. Make that double- and triple-team attention on the basketball court.

"Now we have to deal with the fact that he is being hunted every night that we play," Quakertown coach Kevin Keeler said. "Three guys go after him, trying to be physical with him, trying to get him in foul trouble."

Apparently, the rough play hasn't hindered the Marquette signee's game.

The 6-foot-91/2, 225-pounder averaged 14 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks through Thursday.

Roseboro's points aren't just the result of dunks and put-backs. Blessed with the shooting touch of a guard, the 17-year-old is a capable three-point shooter.

"His assets are excellent hands, solid rebounding, good passing skills, the ability to put the ball on the floor, and a nice face-up shooting stroke out to the three-point arc," said Norm Eavenson, a recruiting analyst for Bob Gibbons All Star Sports/ESPN Insider. "These all make him a potentially good high-post/low-post player."

At one time, Eavenson had Roseboro projected as a Division II to mid-major college prospect.

One factor was his struggles in adjusting to an eight-inch growth spurt.

The Roseboros moved to Florida for a year when Brett was in the ninth grade. Once he returned as a sophomore, the former guard had grown to 6-8.

"I was kind of clumsy," Roseboro said.

It took him about two seasons to adjust to his height and get his coordination back.

The transformation from a Division II to mid-major prospect to a Big East recruit occurred this fall.

Playing in the prestigious iS8/Nike Tip-Off Classic in New York, Roseboro matched up against some of the nation's premier recruits.

In one game, Roseboro hit four three-pointers en route to scoring 27 points against Maryland recruit James Padgett in the AAU event. He also dazzled the crowd by dribbling up the floor and breaking his opponents' press.

Afterward, Roseboro was being recruited by Maryland, St. John's, Temple, Providence, Rutgers, Penn State, Villanova, Marquette and West Virginia.

He chose the Golden Eagles after visiting Marquette's campus in Milwaukee in October.

"It's an honor to be the first Quakertown player to sign a Division I scholarship in at least 26 seasons," Roseboro said.

For now, he's dealing with double- and triple-team attention every night.

"It's a good thing, but it's a bad thing," Roseboro said of being triple-teamed. "If I am getting double- and triple-teamed, that's opening up shots on the floor.

"It's also good because I would rather win than score a lot of points."