By Doug Harris

Former Dayton star Brian Roberts just finished his third full season in the NBA and has finally reached a point where he has a bit of job security with another year on a guaranteed contract with the Charlotte Hornets.

But the 29-year-old guard took an arduous route to reach the pinnacle in the sport, going undrafted after a stellar college career, playing in Israel for a year and then spending three seasons in Germany at the highest level in Europe.

And while he's achieved his dream of making the NBA, his focus has now shifted to doing whatever he can to make sure he stays there.

"I don't want to get content and be happy. That's just not in me," he said. "I want to continue to push."Roberts, a 2008 grad, is one of four former Flyers on NBA or WNBA rosters at the time of publication.

In March, forward Chris Johnson, who has had stints with five NBA teams in the last three years, signed a contract with the Utah Jazz that will take him through 2016.

Roberts — the fourth-leading scorer in UD men's history (1,962 points) and the career-leader in 3-pointers (293) and 3-point accuracy (44.1 percent) — played 72 games with 10 starts last season for the Hornets, who just missed the playoffs. He had modest averages of 6.7 points and 2.3 assists, slightly off his numbers from the previous two years in New Orleans.

But the Toledo native had several breakout games that showed why Charlotte signed him to a free-agent deal worth nearly $5.6 million over two years. He had 20 points against Golden State and another 22 against Portland in back-to-back games in November, and then 23 with 5 three-pointers against the Houston Rockets in the second-to-last game of the year.

"For me, it's just a journey, and to be here it's definitely a blessing," Roberts said. "All the years I put in overseas and at Dayton, you can kind of see right now. I'm reaping the benefits, and my family is reaping the benefits.

"It gives you a great lifestyle and great life, and that's what I wanted to do — provide for my family. I want to work hard and keep playing at the highest level."

Roberts was expected to be the primary backup for star point guard Kemba Walker. But the former UConn star suffered a knee injury that kept him out for most of the season, thrusting Roberts into a starting role.

"It really wasn't a particularly outstanding season for me, but I feel like I did some really good things, and I helped the team win some games. That's something I can look at to be a positive and move forward into the summer and have a great season next year."

Before going back into training, Roberts planned to take a little time off. He and his wife Jenna have three kids — 7-year-old Alana, 2-year-old Cole and 10-month-old Ava — and Roberts is trying to make up for the family time he misses as an NBA player.

"After the season, you can catch up on your daddy duties a little bit, and I can relieve my wife because it's a sacrifice on her end, too," said Roberts, who plans to spend much of the offseason in Dayton.

"Now, I can take my first-grader to the bus stop in the morning and just be around the kids a little bit more. I know my wife's happy, and my kids are happy daddy is home, too."

Johnson's deal with the Jazz is for $2 million, although he'll have to make the team next season to collect on all of it.

He's had a 40-game run with the Boston Celtics but mostly has subsisted on 10-day contracts, an NBA measure that allows clubs to give players a short-term trial without a long-term commitment.

He was just coming off two 10-day swings (the maximum allowable by the NBA) with the Milwaukee Bucks when the Jazz signed him.

"Every team you get to, you're not going to find a home. When you have an opportunity, you have to make the most of it," Johnson said. "I think with this team, I have a great chance to call this place home. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens."

He played in 19 games (two starts) with various teams in 2014-15 and averaged 5.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 18.6 minutes of action.

When he wasn't on an NBA roster, he suited up for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the Developmental League and was named an all-star.

Though he may have had a nomadic life in the pros so far, Johnson isn't ready to abandon his NBA dreams.

"I guess that's the mentality I have. I just stay humble and apply the things I'm learning in basketball," he said. "I try to keep pushing and not give up. I want to give other people an opportunity to look up to me."