Glenn Roberts

Glenn Roberts, Emory & Henry​

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The 6-4, 180-lb. Roberts is considered one of the first college players to put the jump shot to practical use. His prolific scoring set him apart and gave him lasting notoriety for popularizing the new shooting technique, as well as contributing to the transformation of the game and sport. Roberts was the first collegiate player to score 2,000 points against any and all levels of competition. In his four years (1931-32 through 1934-35) at Emory & Henry, Roberts tallied 1,531 points, a national record at that time, in 80 games vs. collegiate-level opponents for 19.1 ppg. (He scored an additional 482 points in 24 other games against professional and semi-pro teams.) His scoring totals still stand for players prior to the 1937 revision of the center-jump rule. He was a four-time Virginia College player of the year and a three-time, all-Virginia Conference selection. In 1935, the Helms Athletic Foundation named Roberts to its first-team, all-American squad that included all divisions. The Wasps- posted an overall record of 68-12 in Roberts’ four seasons vs. college-level opponents. He was a charter member of the Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame (1972) and was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1980. The Naismith Hall of Fame website features a page that features Roberts and his feats in an article entitled “Genesis of the Jump Shot.”