TORRANCE, Calif. -- Today, the Roberson brothers are two pictures of success. Jacen, the younger brother, was recently drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sixteenth round. Meanwhile, his older brother, Cameron, graduated last year from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which he attended on a full-ride scholarship. They attribute a portion of their combined athletic-academic success to their connection with We Are G.A.M.E. (Getting Athletes Mentoring and Education).
The Roberson brothers plugged in with We Are G.A.M.E. at the beginning of their high school careers via Kevin Keyes. They said they expected to pay to get started, but were surprised when the services were free and "straight from the heart."
The G.A.M.E. T.E.A.M. (Those Empowering Athletes by Mentoring) members, including founders Allen and Joyce Thigpen, came alongside the Roberson brothers throughout their high school and college careers. That meant emphasizing both academic excellence and athletic performance.
For Jacen, the support helped him juggle three varsity sports - including four years as a varsity baseball starter - with his classes at Garces High School in Bakersfield, California. After winning the Valley Championship in 2015 and 2018, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a high school senior. He instead chose to attend Cal State University Bakersfield (CSUB), where he hit the first cycle (single, double, triple, and home run in one game) in the baseball program's history.
Today, Jacen plays High-A Minor League for the Arizona Diamondbacks organization (the Visalia Rawhide, to be specific).
His brother, Cameron, is a case study in the We Are G.A.M.E. mentality: pursuing athletics and academics at the same time. At Garces High School, he was a three-year varsity football starter while also playing varsity basketball, track, and baseball. He was the two-time Southwest Yosemite League MVP for track, but particularly shone in football.
He had two scholarship offers for football but turned them down to go to Bakersfield College where he could play wide receiver. That paid off, as his performance on the field landed him a full-ride scholarship to UMass Amherst.
In 2021, he graduated from UMass with his communications degree. Today, Cameron is pursuing a career in teaching, but sports still play a big role in his life. He's currently back at Bakersfield College - this time as a coach.
VIDEO: "Fifteen Minutes with Cameron & Jacen Roberson" - https://youtu.be/PCKqS5isjCo
About We Are G.A.M.E.
We are G.A.M.E., Inc. is made up of a T.E.A.M. (Those Empowering Athletes by Mentoring) of community members strongly committed to empowering student-athletes with the tools and skills needed to successfully tackle the world of college athletics. The T.E.A.M. serves a population of students in need of support, advice, and, most of all, life guidance.
By identifying student-athletes in the ninth grade or earlier, the nonprofit aims to positively influence their lives. The mentors at We Are G.A.M.E. want to see young athletes develop to their fullest athletic potential but ensure that the students also focus on education. The mentors work with students and their parents to create a game plan to pursue academic excellence as well as athletic success.
Learn more at https://www.wearegame.org/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/WeAreGAMEinc
DJ Reed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Ulhpa7fsc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SAGamePlan
RELATED LINKS:
https://www.kget.com/sports/local-sports/bakersfield-native-jacen-roberson-to-play-minor-league-baseball-for-visalia-rawhide/
https://www.bakersfield.com/sports/headed-to-umass-roberson-s-choice-to-forgo-d-i-scholarships-for-bc-pays-off/article_70ad6a18-1b7c-11e9-9c7e-e7932d60a10b.html
Related link: https://www.wearegame.org/
This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved. ID:NEO2022