HARRISBURG -- The story of Quincy Roberts is not an easy one to tell.
He was surrounded by so much love; yet exposed to so much hate.
Roberts, who graduated from Harrisburg High School, declared for the NBA draft in March, but his road to the pros hasn't been easy.
He's had to deal with a parent's dramatic, Jekyll and Hyde-type personality.
Roberts grew up playing ball at the court at Reservoir Park in Harrisburg.
"You would bring a shovel...and shovel the court off?" asked CBS 21 News Sports Director Jason Bristol.
"I would shovel up to the three point line...all the way (up)," said Roberts.
That's Quincy, though.
Growing up, he was always determined and driven; maybe even destined, say the people who know him best. "Quincy was always the go-getter," said his mother, Sandra Palmer. "He always worked hard and always wanted it."
But he never wanted the tattoo of a tear below his eye.
It's for the man who helped Quincy fuse talent with tenacity; traits we all saw when Roberts played at Harrisburg High School. "He always told me to get out there and hurt 'em," said Roberts of his father's advice.
In other words, Roberts was told to play hard; play with purpose and don't give up.
But Toby Roberts also had another side -- a dark side full of hate.
What do you say when the person who pushed you to succeed, your mentor, turns into some kind of monster?
Roberts was arrested multiple times for assault, according to court records reviewed by CBS 21 News.
Finally, in 2007, Roberts brutally stabbed a girlfriend seven times and reportedly tried to slit her throat. Four days later, a SWAT team in Harrisburg moved in to arrest him.
Toby Roberts shot and killed himself.
Quincy was a senior in high school.
"The circumstances surrounding his death; (do they) trouble you as you get older?" asked Bristol.
"Not really," said Quincy Roberts. "I've learned to accept it. I've learned to accept things I can't change. Life has to go on. I have to be who I am, as an individual and an adult."
Quincy chooses to focus on the good things about his father.
He's also focused on basketball now more than ever.
After not playing much at St. John's, he transferred to Grambling State in Louisiana. The move paid off.
Roberts poured in 23.9 points per game this past season and was named first-team all-conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year. A 6-5 junior guard, would have been among the nation's top-5 scorers in Division I had he qualified; he played in only 20 games for the Tigers, however.
He decided to go pro two months ago, a decision his family supported. Since then he visiting and had pre-draft workouts with numerous NBA clubs, including the Knicks, 76ers and Wizards.
"He's determined," said Quincy's grandmother, Arminta Adger. "He plays hard; he practices hard. I just don't believe he can fail."
"He's a team player most of all; and he wants to win and he will make it happen." added Palmer.
Make it happen. Quincy's done that, obviously.
He knows now he has seen and lived through things that would break most people his age -- things that you won't find in any scouting report.
"I didn't even know what I was preparing myself for," said Roberts, reflecting on his time at Reservoir Park. "But I just knew that I wanted to play and I was just an energized kid who wanted to explore and it worked out for the best."
