Roberts, Symone

Symone Roberts made such an impression in her career at New Britain High School that she was named to the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference All-Century Team in 2020 as one of the top 25 girls’ basketball players in the state’s rich history.

A 2009 New Britain graduate, Roberts led the Hurricanes to three straight state championship game appearances with two titles and finished with 2,374 career points, fourth in Connecticut history. As a senior, she averaged 27.1 points per game. She earned Gatorade Connecticut Player of the Year and Connecticut High School Coaches Association Player of the Year honors, while earning a scholarship to play at Providence College.

New Britain won the 2006 Class LL state championship, beating Mercy 67-53, and topped Manchester 54-46 for the 2007 Class LL crown. The Hurricanes again reached the final in 2008, falling to Career Magnet, with Roberts, the lightning-quick 5-foot-7 point guard, accumulating an overall record of 86-15.

She was a three-time all-state selection and earned Sporting News All-American honorable mention status in 2007 and 2008. In addition, she completed a standout track career as a senior with Class LL, State Open, and New England titles in the 400 meters.

Roberts earned All-Big East Conference second-team honors her senior year at Providence, something she lists as a highlight. “Nobody believed in me and I was playing some of the top teams in the country. I was always told that I was too small to play in the Big East,” said Roberts, whose advice for up-and-coming players is to believe in themselves. “I would tell young players to always stay true to themselves. There will always be people out there who don’t believe in you, but if you stay true to yourself you’ll always get the outcome you want.”

Roberts got her start in basketball as influenced by her parents, Anthony Roberts and Kimberly Manzie, both of whom played at New Britain — “I was around it so much with my parents that I took a liking to it,” she said. She credits her mother with having the greatest influence in her career. “She instilled in me at a young age that when things got rough, I needed to continue to work hard,” Roberts said. James Manzie, her bonus dad, made sure she did this. He was her workout partner in the basement and driveway. Former New Britain coach Beryl Piper will serve as Roberts’ presenter as she is inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

A resident of New Britain, Roberts is a third-grade teacher for Hamden Public Schools. She is a 2013 graduate of Providence College, earning a degree in social science and averaging 14.7 points per game as a senior, eclipsing the 1,000-point mark and finishing the 2013 season with 98 steals, the second most in a single season in program history. She enjoys reading, spending time with her family and friends, and watching sports.