SOUTH BELOIT — South Beloit senior Ross Robertson has always stayed true to his team-first mentality even as he steadily rose to become one of the best boys basketball players in the state of Illinois over the course of his prep career.
And that mindset hasn’t wavered, even with Robertson’s announcement on July 16 that he has verbally committed to play basketball at NCAA Division II Northern Michigan.
“I just want to keep the winning culture going,” Robertson said when asked about what he hopes to do as a Wildcat. “And hopefully go farther in the (NCAA D-II) tournament because I know that’s what Coach Matt Majkrzak is really looking forward to. He thinks this is probably our best chance with this recruiting class, my class of 2025.”
It’s been quite the journey for the 6-foot-8 South Beloit native, who first picked up the game when he was just four years old.
“My brother (Riley) always played in South Beloit, and he just really inspired me because I wanted to be like him,” Robertson said. “But now we always joke that I’ve made a bigger footprint than him.”
He certainly has.
Robertson had a strong freshman debut, helping guide the SoBos to their first IHSA 1A regional championship in 12 seasons and earning a spot on the Beloit Daily News All-Area First Team after averaging 15.7 points per game to go with 10.5 rebounds per game and blocking a school-record 110 shots. He set the school single-season record for boards, as well.
He encored with an outstanding sophomore season that included a second-straight regional title, an all-state honorable mention by the Associated Press, a spot on the IBCA’s All-State Second Team along with the Beloit Daily News All-Area Player of the Year. That year he became the youngest SoBo to surpass 1,000 career points as he averaged 22.6 points per game to go with 13.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks. He made 64.7 percent of his field goals.
And Robertson set the bar even higher his junior year, working his way up to the IBCA’s All-State First Team, repeating as the Northeastern Athletic Conference’s MVP and being named an All-State First Teamer by the AP. He also helped South Beloit earn a third-consecutive regional title.
The stats speak for themselves: 25 points per game his junior season with a 14.24 average in rebounds. He passed the 2,000 career point mark and sits at 2,082. And Robertson is all over the IHSA record books. He currently is 12th in IHSA history in career rebounds with 1,273 and his 470 rebounds this past season are the 16th most in IHSA all-time for a single season. He made 128 field goals this past season, the seventh most in a single season, and he sits at 780 career field goals, good for 12th all-time.
“I’ve been in the weight room a lot,” Robertson said. “So, in the paint I’m getting a lot stronger. And then I train roughly around three times a week. I try to get shots up every day, and my shooting is getting a lot better. I’m just really pushing hard on my skills because I know I’m going to need a little boost for the next level.”
And Majkrzak has to be ecstatic at the thought of Robertson in his backcourt as his tall frame makes him a blocking and rebounding machine that opponents are forced to strategize ways to score around.
“I love blocking shots,” the senior said. “I’m willing to go and jump and get done what I need to do. I feel like the timing came naturally and I just know when somebody’s going to shoot it. I know when to jump, when not to jump, and it’s just really easy for me.”
AAU travel basketball has also been a huge help for Robertson, who had a tenure with the Chicago Mean Streets before finishing out the past two offseasons with the Milwaukee-based Davis Brothers Elite.
“There’s been so many trainers and coaches out there in the AAU world that have really helped me,” he said. “Especially James Fox, he was (University of Wisconsin star and 2022 NBA first round pick) Johnny Davis’ trainer. I trained with him this past year at every practice, he would do a 45-minute session with us. And then Jerry Goldsmith, he trained me for a while and he was really good. They really try to help me become a guard because in the college world I probably am more of power forward and I get to play it out in space more.”
And AAU showcases is where Northern Michigan first caught wind of their future player.
“They had been watching me since last summer, but they offered me at the beginning of the AAU season, around April,” Robertson said. “And ever since then, they’ve been in contact with me pretty much every day. So, it seemed they were really interested and I felt wanted there. It felt like home.”
D-II Winona State also offered, but a visit to the Northern Michigan campus and meeting the team sealed the deal for Robertson.
“It’s beautiful because they’re right on the lake,” he said. “And the way that the coaches use their versatile bigs, they let them step out, shoot the three, and they let them bring the ball up the court, which I’ve been doing for a really long time with the SoBos. It felt like I’d really fit in there because it would feel like South Beloit.”
An important factor for Robertson, who never thought about leaving the small school to play for a prep academy. The senior is often seen at youth sport games supporting the kids or at other high school events like volleyball or girls basketball.
“(The community) really supports me, so I’m going to support them too,” he said. “This has always felt like home, and I really fit in here. And I always feel like if you work hard enough, you can do it from any school. So, just because South Beloit is a small school and doesn’t always get the most attention, I just don’t let that get in my way and just really enjoy the South Beloit experience.”
Robertson will join a Wildcats’ squad that finished 22-11 overall and 14-4 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. NMU fell 81-65 to Ferris State in the NCAA Midwest Regional Quarterfinals.
“It feels really good, especially to get it out of my way before my senior year so I don’t have to worry about it,” he said.
Robertson’s attention will soon turn back to the SoBos, where he will attempt to lead them to their fourth-straight regional title and their first sectional title since 1975 under new head coach Mike Miller, the longtime Hononegah head honcho who was an assistant coach last season and filled in as interim head coach for a portion of the year while head coach Matt Stucky was away for family matters.
“We lost some key pieces, but I think we’ll still win a lot of games,” he said. “We have a really good coach with Mike Miller, and I think he’ll really push the team and make us better. And come postseason, we will be really tough to beat.”
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