“That day it got really bad,” Wilburn said. “He was laying down, got up to go to the bathroom and his uncle heard him fall.”

Wilburn said Roberts’ uncle went upstairs to check on him and found that he was all right.

“He went back downstairs’ and he heard another thump,” Wilburn said.

This time, Roberts did not respond when his uncle tried to wake him.

After being rushed to the hospital, Roberts was checked by doctors, who immediately determined that the 17-year-old’s fall had been caused by a stroke.

“At that time, he couldn’t move; his left side was paralyzed,” Wilburn said. “They checked him and found that his heart was beating erratically and was swollen twice the size.”

Roberts was moved to St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, where he died.

His father said the family was lucky to make it to his bedside in time to say goodbye before he passed away.

Roberts’ parents live in Mississippi. He was staying with family members in Anderson, hoping to finish his senior year at Anderson High School after bouncing back and forth from Mississippi over the years.

Gary Courter, who served as Roberts’ eighth-grade basketball coach at South Side Middle School, said the teen was one of a kind.

“He was such a nice person — polite, courteous,” Courter said. “You talk about a young man with character — that’s Steven Roberts.”

Courter said he was first impressed with Roberts’ character when the teen was still in eighth grade and displayed exceptional sportsmanship.

Before the game, he shook the hands of all the Pendleton players and all the referees, Courter said. “To see an eighth-grader leave the bench and go shake the hands of the other team — you don’t even see that in high school.”

Roberts’ teammates said the teen was courteous and polite, but also had a very jovial side.

“He was just goofy,” explained Marquese Goins, 16.