Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

First Person: Team player

CNJ staff photo: Liliana Castillo J.J. Roberts has been the unofficial manager for the Wildcats for 30 years.

The Clovis Wildcats basketball and football teams don’t go anywhere without J.J. Roberts Jr., the team’s volunteer manager.

A 1980 Clovis High grad, Roberts, 46, never misses a game. When he’s not supporting the Wildcats, he works at Clovis Livestock Auction.

His favorite pre-game meal: I’ll say chicken-fried steak. I was brought up eating that.

On his favorite sport: I like football and basketball the same. Those are my hobbies.

The thrill of victory: When we won state championship in basketball my junior year. It felt great. I was happy.

The agony of defeat: My senior year, not winning state for football. That was a long time ago. I feel it the same as the players do.

What he loves about basketball: Just the excitement and the thrills and working with the players. Winning is good. I don’t like to lose. I’m pretty competitive.

On other hobbies: I like fishing and to go swimming. I have the sports that are exciting and then I like to go fish because it’s calm. I like to go where there’s nobody around except whoever is fishing with me.

Road warrior: I go to every game. They don’t leave me behind. I get things done for them. If I don’t go, they’re lost without me.

On his nickname: The team calls me Que J.J. I always say “que” to them so they call me Que J.J.

Me and the boys: I call Aaron Boydstun the “Terminator” because when he runs down the court he hold his arms up like the Terminator. Manuel (Robles), I call him “Leaping Frog” because he can jump in the air. I call Jayden (Isler) and Bryce (Hill) “Swish” because they both swish the net.

Life of the ranch: My grandfather lived in Tucumcari. I used to ride horses with him. I’d work the horses, vaccinate them. When I got older, he got me into pigs. I did it, but I got tired of it and didn’t want to do it anymore.

Too many to count: I gotta bunch Wildcat T-shirts. Too many, really. Through all the years, probably 100 shirts.