Former Manasquan hoops star Ben Roy is 'getting my confidence back' at Boston University
PISCATAWAY – There was a moment Friday, during Boston University’s basketball game at Rutgers, when Ben Roy looked exactly like the player who dominated the Shore Conference for two years as Manasquan High School’s floor general.
After forcing a turnover, Roy drove around two defenders and drained a pull-up jumper in the lane to put the Terriers ahead six minutes in.
The lead didn’t last, but the sequence was a sign that the sophomore point guard is rounding into form after a torn ACL sidetracked him for the better part of the past two years. After sitting out his senior year at Manasquan in 2021-22, “I put on a lot of extra weight,” Roy said, “and it took me a while to burn that off last year (as a college freshman).”
Last winter Roy appeared in 13 games for Boston University, averaging just five minutes per game.
“I was still dealing with the repercussions of it mentally,” he said of the injury. “It was tough, but I put a lot of work in over the summer, got my body right and I feel great now.”
In last week’s season-opening loss to Northeastern, Roy handed out three assists in 14 minutes off the bench. Against Rutgers, he played 21 minutes and tallied four points, one assist and one steal.
“Obviously the game didn’t go as we wanted, but it was good energy and it was nice to be home,” he said afterward, noting that “25 or 30” family members and friends attended to root him on.
“I’m getting my confidence back,” he said. “I feel good and I’m excited for what’s in store this year.”
In the preseason, the Terriers were picked to finish fifth in the 10-team Patriot League by the conference’s coaches.
“This year we’ve got a lot of new guys, a lot of inexperience, so it’s going to take a little while for us to jell together,” Roy said. “I want to step into a lead role, be able to direct guys and really help us for when conference play comes around.”
Off the court, Roy is enrolled in the university’s prestigious Questrom School of Business.
“It’s not easy; I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” he said of balancing books and ball. “It’s legit, I go to school for real. I work hard in class as much as I do on the court.”
The importance of work ethic is a message he wants to pass along.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t,” Roy said. “A lot of people told me, a kid from the Shore, ‘You can’t do it.’ That went in one ear and out the other. I kept working on my game, kept going hard and trusted the people in my corner.”
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Former Manasquan hoops star Ben Roy is 'getting my confidence back'
