This 6-3 UM freshman center might follow her mom’s footsteps to pro basketball
Essie Haney Washington knows a thing or two about basketball, having played center for Grambling State and Howard University and then for the Virginia Waves of the WABA pro league. But she never pushed her daughter, Sydnee Roby, a University of Miami freshman center, to a basketball court.
“She didn’t want to force her legacy on me,” Roby said. “She wanted me to fall in love with basketball on my own.”
Washington said: “I didn’t want to be one of those parents.”
Instead, Washington let her daughter dabble in tennis, volleyball, and soccer. When she declared at 10 that she wanted to be the next Serena Williams, Essie and her husband, Barry Washington, bought her a racket and the cute pink and blue tennis outfit that she wanted, and enrolled her in lessons.
“She was horrible, hitting it over the fence, but I completely supported her, never said a word,” Essie Washington said, laughing. “That didn’t last long. She was good at volleyball. When she told me that she wanted to play basketball, I kept a straight face, but I was dancing inside. I said, `Let’s get to work.’ ’’
Washington taught Roby post moves and relied on her go-to fadeaway jumper to keep her daughter on her toes when they played one-on-one.
By the time Roby was a junior at Rufus King High in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she was the state’s Player of the Year and had dozens of top Division I programs interested. The 6-3 center chose the University of Miami over Michigan State, California, Notre Dame, Marquette, and Louisville.
UM coach Katie Meier remembers the moment Roby committed.
“I was at a youth soccer game when I got the call, it was quiet, and I started screaming and yelling,” Meier said. “I remember the moment when Syd called because she played a terrible joke on me, acted like she wasn’t coming and then said she was. Ha, ha, funny, right? It killed me. She’s such a rare find. Her impact here is going to be enormous.”
Meier said Roby has a perfect combination of size, athleticism, skill, and court sense — much of which Roby attributes to years of advice from her mother.
“She’s got incredible hands, great balance, is very athletic, and the size that she can take some space and secure the basket for you,” Meier said. “And her basketball IQ is very high.
“Not only did her mom play, her mom’s hard on her, in a loving way. Essie gives me permission to coach Syd very hard. Syd doesn’t call home and say, ‘Coach was hard on me,’ and get a soft landing from her mom. Essie knows what it takes.”
Roby said her mother warned her the transition to college ball wouldn’t be easy, and she was right. The pace of the game is faster, so Roby has had to work hard on her fitness through diet and extra cardio. An admitted chocoholic, Halloween week was tough.
“Every office on campus had little candy bowls with leftover chocolates, but I didn’t take any,” said Roby, who has lost 15 pounds. “I’ve definitely had to change my eating habits.”
Roby and the other four UM freshmen will be counted on as the 21st-ranked Hurricanes (5-2) host No. 14 Indiana (6-1) on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Watsco Center. Roby went 5-for-5 for 11 points in 15 minutes in an 80-62 win over Miami of Ohio on Saturday.
“I chose UM because of Katie,” Roby said. “She’s so smart on and off the court, and she will help me expand my game. I know it’s a process. My mom reminds me of that every day.”
This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 5:10 PM.