Coupeville Sports

      CJ Roberts (left) always has a moment for the gentlemen… (Shelli Trumbull photos)

and the ladies…

and the future ladies.

      Though, sometimes, it gets to be a bit much and he has to wear a disguise to get a moment to himself.

Everyone knows CJ and CJ knows everyone.

The go-to man for the Coupeville High School boys’ basketball team, sophomore team manager CJ Roberts is a busy guy.

When he’s not fulfilling his duties (keeping the score book at away contests, filming games, keeping water containers filled and anything else any of the players or coaches require) he bops through the crowds like he owns them.

He bumps fists with one person, jokes with another, drops a well-timed verbal jab at yet another and generally works the house like a top-level maitre d’.

For a kid who grew up playing sports but initially decided against playing high school ball himself (that may change), being a manager allows him to be with his friends while continuing to play a key role in Wolf sports.

“I wanted to be the manager because I’ve grown up with this group of kids and played sports with them my whole life,” Roberts said. “It’s an opportunity to be a part of the team.”

Roberts, who is in his second year as a team manager, also volunteers his time to help out with the Coupeville Boys and Girls Club basketball program, co-coaching a team with fellow sophomore Aaron Trumbull.

When Trumbull and his teammates snapped their 33-game, 702-day losing streak with an epic win at Mount Vernon Christian recently, Roberts was on the scene and front and center.

One of the best Shelli Trumbull photos from that night shows Roberts pumping his fist high in the air and screaming like a madman, helping Oscar Liquidano and others rally the crowd in support of his guys.

It is a night he will remember for a very long time.

The win at Mt. Vernon was the most amazing feeling in the world,” Roberts said. “I watch these guys work themselves to the breaking point every day and finally it paid off.

“The smiles, the cheering, the feeling of being on that court that night, is unmatched by anything!”

When spring arrives, Roberts plans to set aside the manager duties and return to the athletic field himself. He hopes to throw shot put and discus for the Wolf track team and is contemplating playing football and basketball next year.

That will hopefully give him a chance to make up for missing out on the biggest athletic accomplishment in recent Central Whidbey history, when his former little league teammates won a state baseball title.

“I played little league from 3rd to 7th grade and dropped out the year before my team won state,” Roberts said. “That’s one of the biggest regrets I have.”

But the always-upbeat Roberts, who spends most of his time looking like he’s about to laugh at a private joke, is not one to dwell on the past.

In between school, where he favors world history with Randy King, and listening to music (he has an eclectic list of favorites including Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Steve Miller Band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Macklemore), he’s always looking for a good time while appreciating what he has.

He credits his parents, Brent and Heidi Roberts, for “supporting me in everything I do and always will” and offers a special shout-out to Wolf JV basketball coach Dustin Van Velkinburgh.

“Coach V has had a huge impact on my life,” Roberts said. “He picked me up every day at 6:00 AM to work out for four months without hesitation, just to see me improve my life.”