The real Roman

Senior guard’s journey hasn’t been an easy one

Bud Sullins/Special to the Herald-Leader Roman Lambert dribbles through the Van Buren defense in a game played on Jan. 20 at Clair Bates Arena in Van Buren.
Bud Sullins/Special to the Herald-Leader Roman Lambert dribbles through the Van Buren defense in a game played on Jan. 20 at Clair Bates Arena in Van Buren.

There's more to Roman Lambert than what students at Siloam Springs High School see, or than what basketball fans see when he takes the court as senior point guard for the Siloam Springs Panthers.

Some know the story, others don't.

It's not anything that Lambert hides or tries to keep secret.

In a little less than three weeks, it will have been eight years since Lambert stepped into this country for good, leaving behind his life as a 10-year-old orphan in Ukraine.

"I remember leaving the orphanage for the last time," Lambert said. "I was happy and joyful, but I was also sad because I knew I wasn't going to see those people ever again."

The transition wasn't and hasn't always been easy for Lambert, but those around him can see progress being made, even if it's little by little.

"From the seventh grade until where we are right now, the maturation process has been slow and steady," said Siloam Springs boys basketball coach Tim Stewart. "Each year he's gotten a little better, and that's on and off the court. So we're tremendously proud of Roman for the strides he's made, as a person and a basketball player."

Orphan in Ukraine

When Lambert was 5 years old, he watched his birth mother die in front of him.

She had tuberculosis. He remembers they were going up to their apartment one day when she collapsed.

For a time, Lambert lived with his aunt, but his aunt's boyfriend didn't like him and as a 6-year-old he was sent to an orphanage in the Ukraine.

At the orphanage it was determined that he also had tuberculosis, so he had to be moved to a special treatment hospital, where he spent nine months.

From there, Lambert -- who never knew his birth father -- moved on to a "good orphanage."

In 2005, as part of a choir trip with this orphanage, Lambert made his first trip to the United States.

"The lady who organized (the trip) really liked me and she wanted me to get adopted," Lambert said. "I couldn't sing very good, but she sent me on the trip. The parents I have now, they went to New York and saw me there."

About 10 months after returning from the trip, Lambert recalls getting a letter, written in English. Through a translator, he learned that it explained he was being adopted.

"I was really excited about it because I wanted to get adopted," he said. "I wanted a better life."

Two months later, he said, he signed papers and shortly after that, he was headed to the United States after being adopted by Dan and Becky Lambert.

A new life

Lambert stepped foot in the United States on Feb. 17, 2007, to newly adopted parents, in a new country and a new way of life.

He didn't speak English. Finding people able to communicate with in Russian was difficult, he remembers.

"It was definitely a tough transition," Lambert said. "But I learned pretty quickly."

Lambert said his parents would make him spend hours reading books with a translator in an effort to help speed along the process of learning English.

"It was difficult, but I picked it up really fast," he said. "My parents said I could make out a conversation in about two months (after arriving)."

Lambert spent time in ESL classes until he was in seventh grade, when it was determined he no longer needed them.

Sports a big part

Sports have always been a big part of Lambert's life.

He recalls that in the Ukraine there was no access to television or electronics, so kids played soccer outside every day until it got dark.

"When I got here, I had a problem at first because I was too rough with kids," he said.

He started playing basketball in the sixth grade because he was short and knew it would be a challenge.

"I couldn't make a layup, and I used to cry all the time," he said. "I was so bad."

Lambert stayed with basketball through middle school and ninth grade when he developed another love -- working out.

At the end of his ninth-grade year and on the heels of a personal mistake -- where he and two other boys were arrested for intoxication and fleeing from police -- Lambert felt his life was at a crossroads.

"I either had two choices, I could either be bad or I could change," he said. "I knew I had a choice to make."

Lambert chose the latter, and began working out on a daily basis with friend, teammate and classmate Keetun Pierce.

"At first I hated it," he said. "I was like, 'this is stupid.' But then as we progressed, it totally changed my life."

It also changed his body.

Today -- standing a stocky 5-foot-7, 190 pounds -- Lambert is one of the strongest athletes in the school and looks more like a bodybuilder than a basketball player.

Working with assistant coach Chris Cameron in the weight room, Lambert has increased his measurements to 375 in the bench press, 455 in the squat and more than 500 pounds in the deadlift.

Lambert said he works out every day that he can, except on game days.

"I love the sense of accomplishment once you get done," he said. "It makes you feel good about yourself."

Solid senior year

On the basketball court, Lambert has played a large role for the Panthers, who hosted Alma on Tuesday night and play at Bryant on Friday.

He's averaged 8.9 points per game as the team's point guard, along with hitting a team-leading 32 of 77 3-pointers (41 percent), dishing out 58 assists and leading the team in minutes played.

Lambert's improved shooting touch has been a big surprise, Stewart said.

"He's always been able to shoot, but he's improved his shooting to the point this year when he's open and balanced, we think it's going in," Stewart said. "Going into the year did we think he was going to be the scoring threat that he is? On paper, no. We've watched him in practice work and work and work, to where we think he's one of the best shooters around."

On Friday against Conway, Lambert hit five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 21 points as the Panthers (11-7, 3-2 7A/6A-Central) held off the Class 7A Wampus Cats 43-42 in Panther Activity Center.

"Friday night kind of capped that off because in the first half he was a scoring machine," Stewart said. "He hit five threes and that proves he's put the time in to improve his skills. But then in the second half, he was more of a ball-handler and an assist man, and controlled the game, which kind of shows that progression we've seen. It's fun to watch. We think he has a lot more potential out there over the next month and a half, and that's the expectation. It's fun to see guys improve throughout their career both on and off the court."

But it hasn't been all smooth sailing this season for Lambert. He was forced to sit out the last game of the Fayetteville Invitational for disciplinary reasons from the previous game.

Lambert admits he can often get caught up in the heat of the moment.

"I play with a lot of emotion, and sometimes I let the emotion get the best of me," Lambert said. "The coach has talked to me about it. I used to be really bad in eighth grade and ninth grade. I used to get in fights and stuff. I've definitely gotten better. I play with no fear and I'm super aggressive, and sometimes I just let my emotions get the best of me. It's definitely hard."

But when times are hard, Lambert's got the support of his teammates, especially his fellow seniors.

"His teammates, the seniors that are with him, they've stuck with him and taken him in," said ninth-grade boys coach and varsity assistant Bill Covington. "The bonds that have formed between those teammates have really helped him grow. Guys who have had his back when it wasn't easy. Brandon (Johnson), Tucker (Gambill), Keetun (Pierce), Austin (Hornbuckle), they've been with Roman through the ups and downs. Those guys love him and they have his back."

Sports on 01/28/2015