Josh McRoberts grew up in Carmel, Indiana, a prosperous suburb north of Indianapolis, in a basketball-centric family. His father, Tim McRoberts, was a Carmel High School alumnus who had played on the school’s basketball team. His mother, Jennifer, was a teacher. He had two younger sisters, Elizabeth and Sarah, and a younger brother, Zach. One of his most influential mentors was the late Eric Clark, a beloved Carmel administrator, teacher, and head coach for football, basketball, and track, for whom the school’s athletic facilities were eventually named.
What separates McRoberts from most blue-chip recruits is the modesty of his original ambition. In a 2016 interview with WTHR in Indianapolis, McRoberts stood on the Carmel court where the Greyhounds play and said: ‘I just love playing basketball. I had the opportunity to play from an early age. My family was always involved in it. Honestly my biggest dream was probably to play here, to play at Carmel High School. That was my biggest aspiration. So everything after that was like a bonus to me.’ His picture hangs on the wall outside the gym.
At Carmel, McRoberts became one of the most decorated high school players in Indiana history. As a senior, he averaged 17.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 3.0 blocks while shooting 59.3% from the field, leading the Greyhounds to a 21–4 record and a sectional championship game. He finished his high school career with 1,264 points, 759 rebounds, 255 assists, and 259 blocks. He was rated the No. 1 power forward in the Class of 2005 by Rivals.com and Scout.com, ranked second overall nationally, and named the top-ranked senior by Bob Gibbons. He was named the Morgan Wootten Award winner as the McDonald’s All-American Player of the Year and won the McDonald’s All-American Game MVP with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting and a game-high 12 rebounds. He was also a first-team Parade All-American and All-USA Today selection. He was a finalist for Indiana Mr. Basketball (finishing behind Luke Zeller). He was a five-tool athlete who also earned all-conference honors in golf as a scratch golfer and was a two-time league champion in both the high jump and triple jump.