Jeff Robinson - PF (COMMIT)

[Muskie]

Hoosier Hoops is reporting that Jeff Robinson will commit to the Musketeers.

Robinson was originally a Purdue commit. However, Purdue's admissions recently rejected him because all of his grades were not in order.

Apparently Jeff is waiting on a summer school class, and Purdue had to make the decision to admit him or not.

If you read between the lines... Purdue has oversigned.....

[boozehound]

We could really use a 2009 PF. This would be huge!

[kmcrawfo]

http://www.hoosierhoopsreport.com/

For the last ten days, Xavier has been talking to Jeff Robinson and over the weekend Xavier pulled the trigger and offered the 6'9" forward from Lawrence North. As of this morning, Robinson is all but committed, but the final issue...

[Pluto]

Scouting report on Robinson per ESPN:

Evaluation
December, 2008: Robinson receives very limited time and a very talented and deep Lawrenceville North team. He has great size and is a very good athlete but gets very little done on the floor. He plays very unaggressive and unsure of himself most of the time. When he is motivated he can finish above the rim in transition and score on drop off passes created by guard penetration and rebound in his area. For Robinson to have success at Purdue he make play with more passion and energy and continue to develop his skills and add strength. If he makes these improvements his game will be as good as he looks.

November, 2007: Jeff Robinson is a long, athletic big man who can run with the best of them. He has a ton of potential, but still has not put it all together on the court. When you see him in skill sessions, you can see an impact player, yet he still has not shown the ability to dominate on the high school level at this point in time. Robinson is physically weak, but he also is not willing to mix it up inside with bigger players. He settles for jump shots and does not actively pursue rebounds. While I hate to say it, right now, he is a "soft" player. Robinson does have some natural gifts that make him a very intriguing prospect. He is skilled and shows flashes that make you want to see more. There is no doubt that more is in him, it is just a matter of him gaining the confidence to do it. Strength training is a must and he needs to really "want it" to be able to reach his potential as a player.

[kmcrawfo]

sounds very promising, but a little bit of a work in progess. Xavier has always been good at developing bigs, so this guy could end up being a gem.

[AviatorX]

sounds very promising, but a little bit of a work in progess. Xavier has always been good at developing bigs, so this guy could end up being a gem.

Not to knock on Andrew, but I'd rather have an athletic guy who has all the skills just needs to put them together than Andrew Taylor as our backup PF.

[JimmyTwoTimes37]

Not to knock on Andrew, but I'd rather have an athletic guy who has all the skills just needs to put them together than Andrew Taylor as our backup PF.

Not only that, Xavier has been proven to help develop big men (D Brown, Doellman, Love, Posey, etc). I think X can get the "potential" out of Robinson.

Whats amazing to me is that Robinson only played minimal minutes his senior year of high school averaging 3.5 points per game because that Lawrence North High School was so stacked.

Anyways I like this pickup.

So now we have 2 scholarships left...for JD/Jones/Martin/Canty/Coleman

[MFurey]

Jeff is a Muskie

[AviatorX]

Holloway, Jackson, Crawford, McLean, Love as the starting 5 with Lyons, Walsh, Frease, Redford, and Robinson coming off the bench.

Sounds to me like they might want to hold back planning the championship parade in Dayton until we see this group on the court.

[GoMuskies]

3.5 points a game in high school? Sounds like a redshirt candidate.

[AviatorX]

3.5 points a game in high school? Sounds like a redshirt candidate.

Absolutely loaded team. Do you honestly think we can afford to redshirt an incoming PF this year?

[A10fan]

3.5 points a game in high school? Sounds like a redshirt candidate.

Ain't gonna happen. They don't need him next year as much as this year. All he needs to do is rebound and play d. I hope he hits the weight room.

[GoMuskies]

Absolutely loaded team. Do you honestly think we can afford to redshirt an incoming PF this year?

Sure. We were obviously planning to go through the year without an incoming PF before this.

I'm sure his HS team is very good. Xavier is a whole lot better.

[AviatorX]

FWIW, the competition for playing time at Lawrence North HS is insane. They had Robinson along with several other prospects including Stephan Van Treese in the post rotation. Justin Martin just played his first season on varsity as a junior. I think this is Oden and Conley's HS, correct?

[AviatorX]

Sure. We were obviously planning to go through the year without an incoming PF before this.

I'm sure his HS team is very good. Xavier is a whole lot better.

Yeah, but everyone was pointing to that as a major weakness. You don't fix the problem, just to redshirt the guy and have the problem again. Kind of like Reds fans wanting to trade a SP, now that there is finally some depth and stability in the rotation, you don't just trade a guy away and get back to where you started.

[xavierj]

I don't know squat about the guy but he had offers from Butler, Illinois & Purdue along with intrest from North Carolina, Kentucky and Indiana so the guy must have something.

[GoMuskies]

I hope he's the next coming of Karl Malone.

[ballyhoohoo]

FWIW, the competition for playing time at Lawrence North HS is insane. They had Robinson along with several other prospects including Stephan Van Treese in the post rotation. Justin Martin just played his first season on varsity as a junior. I think this is Oden and Conley's HS, correct?

Yes, they also had Dominuiqe Ferguson, they are the UCLA of Indiana High School basketball. The kid could have scored more had he not been behind SVT (lousiville)

[Cincy Muskie]

I like the fact he was in the NBA top 100 camp a season ago and according to Painter acquitted himself on the glass. Let's hope he works hard on the court and in the classroom and keeps the Musketeer tradition of developing underrated big men in tact.

[JimmyTwoTimes37]

Yes, they also had Dominuiqe Ferguson, they are the UCLA of Indiana High School basketball. The kid could have scored more had he not been behind SVT (lousiville)

Ferguson is really really good...5 star, being recruited by everyone from UK to UCLA to Duke to UNC i believe.

[ballyhoohoo]

3.5 points a game in high school? Sounds like a redshirt candidate.

A good comparison might be Matt Cassell, good enough, wrong place at the wrong time = your ass on the bench

[Mrs. Garrett]

Mack also made it clear that he wasn't using the available scholarships if the right player wasn't out there.

[Muskie]

Don't be frightened by his work in High school. Lawrence North is absolutely loaded with talent.

[GoMuskies]

Lawrence North is absolutely loaded with talent.

Are they better than Xavier?

[Muskie]

Here is a list of people who have played at his position at Lawrence North while Jeff has been there.

Dominique Ferguson,
Stephan Van Treese,
Ryan Taylor,
Michael Chandler
Justin Martin (note Martin was also playing the 3).

[Xman95]

Are they better than Xavier?

We're not looking for this kid to come in and start. He's a big, athletic PF that might be able to give us back-up minutes behind McLean. If Mack and Co. feel they can develop his game to the point he can contribute, he won't redshirt. And, honestly, I don't think they would have brought him in if they didn't think he could contribute this year. If he couldn't come in and help the team, they probably would have just held the scholarship.

[bobbiemcgee]

Yeah, but everyone was pointing to that as a major weakness. You don't fix the problem, just to redshirt the guy and have the problem again. Kind of like Reds fans wanting to trade a SP, now that there is finally some depth and stability in the rotation, you don't just trade a guy away and get back to where you started.

you mean like the D Brown redshirt?

[AviatorX]

you mean like the D Brown redshirt?

Except that if I remember correctly, expectations weren't as high for that team, and there were more than a few flaws. I think most would agree that the only glaring weakness for the 2009-2010 team is a backup PF/post player, throwing Robinson in the mix should shore up that weakness.

[bobbiemcgee]

Yeah, I like getting another guy who can pound the glass, hopefully. His Dad, being a former Indiana All-Star, should help get him motivated after the lousy senior academic yr.

[Masterofreality]

This is a type of kid, hopefully, that has been Xavier's forte over the years- if,IF he has the right mindset of hard-work ethic to get better. I'm thinking Jason Love, A-Train Williams, Brian Grant, David West stuff.

The question is the work ethic. If he comes in with the right work attitude, put him on the roster now. If he doesn't, red-shirt and see how he reacts.

[AviatorX]

This is a type of kid, hopefully, that has been Xavier's forte over the years- if,IF he has the right mindset of hard-work ethic to get better. I'm thinking Jason Love, A-Train Williams, Brian Grant, David West stuff.

The question is the work ethic. If he comes in with the right work attitude, put him on the roster now. If he doesn't, red-shirt and see how he reacts.

Sorry, but I just don't see any way that redshirting him is a viable option.

[bobbiemcgee]

This is a type of kid, hopefully, that has been Xavier's forte over the years- if,IF he has the right mindset of hard-work ethic to get better. I'm thinking Jason Love, A-Train Williams, Brian Grant, David West stuff.

The question is the work ethic. If he comes in with the right work attitude, put him on the roster now. If he doesn't, red-shirt and see how he reacts.

them is some huge shoes to fill....that being said, I think JLove will be a monster this yr.

[bobbiemcgee]

I'd love to be a fly on the wall @ the first practice when they tell him to go out and guard JLove or Kenny...lol

[SixFig]

I am definitely excited about this guy but lets not expect too much this year. He'll still have to EARN playing time against a frontcourt that has mixed it up with Dejuan Blair. He'll have his freshman moments, and even though the temptation is to think of him as a ready-made backup like Jamel was last year, that's simply not the case.

[kyxu]

This might sound really bad, but I'm excited about Robinson coming aboard for the simple reason that having Andrew Taylor as our backup power forward scares the sh*t out of me.

[Firehose]

I'd love to be a fly on the wall @ the first practice when they tell him to go out and guard JLove or Kenny...lol

I personally feel that Chris Mack should go find Tom Compton and have Tom and Kenny double team him for an hour.

[SixFig]

How does this affect Jordan Latham in 2010-2011? I imagine he was promised 10-15 minutes as Jamel's backup right away. If Robinson proves himself worthy of at least some of those minutes, then does Latham shift more to center?

[MFurey]

I assume Latham wasnt promised any minutes.

[ballyhoohoo]

How does this affect Jordan Latham? I imagine he was promised 10-15 minutes as Jamel's backup right away. If Robinson proves himself worthy of at least some of those minutes, then does Latham shift more to center?

With his athletic gifts and shooting ability it sounds like Jeff could play the 4 & 3 while Latham plays the 4 & 5. Then one would assume Canty/Martin/Jone would play a combo 2 & 3

[Muncie]

Latham is not coming in this year but next.

[AviatorX]

With his athletic gifts and shooting ability it sounds like Jeff could play the 4 & 3 while Latham plays the 4 & 5. Then one would assume Canty/Martin/Jone would play a combo 2 & 3

Exactly. You can never have too many 6'6 or taller guys that can shoot the ball and jump out of the gym.

[wkrq59]

Hold onto your hats people. This Jeff Robinson from Broadripple High school appears to be the son of Jeff Robinson Sr., a former All-State and I believe Mr. Indiana Basketball, whom Oscar Robertson recruited and who signed and played for University of Cincinnati under Ed Badger and Ken Banazak in the early 80s. Old Jeff was said to be the best player to come out of Indianapolis since Oscar.
Jeff Sr. was unhappy because he was in a backup role his freshman year and played sparingly. He had trouble adapting to the college game.
At any rate, he left UC after his freshman year and when he did, Oscar Robertson swore he'd never send another kid to UC.
Jeff Sr. Was a lanky almost gangy kid when he came to UC. This is going to be a very interesting situation I imagine.
One thing is certain, Jeff Sr. could play the game. Damn straight.
Check out the other stories and evaluations of young Robinson in the "Xavier adds depth thread. There two threads ought to be combined somehow. I know one thing, though. The kid has really good bloodlines. :D:D

[kyxu]

Hold onto your hats people. This Jeff Robinson from Broadripple High school appears to be the son of Jeff Robinson Sr., a former All-State and I believe Mr. Indiana Basketball, whom Oscar Robertson recruited and who signed and played for University of Cincinnati under Ed Badger and Ken Banazak in the early 80s. Old Jeff was said to be the best player to come out of Indianapolis since Oscar.
Jeff Sr. was unhappy because he was in a backup role his freshman year and played sparingly. He had trouble adapting to the college game.
At any rate, he left UC after his freshman year and when he did, Oscar Robertson swore he'd never send another kid to UC.
Jeff Sr. Was a lanky almost gangy kid when he came to UC. This is going to be a very interesting situation I imagine.
One thing is certain, Jeff Sr. could play the game. Damn straight. :D:D

I think you mean Lawrence North.

[bobbiemcgee]

Hold onto your hats people. This Jeff Robinson from Broadripple High school appears to be the son of Jeff Robinson Sr., a former All-State and I believe Mr. Indiana Basketball, whom Oscar Robertson recruited and who signed and played for University of Cincinnati under Ed Badger and Ken Banazak in the early 80s. Old Jeff was said to be the best player to come out of Indianapolis since Oscar.
Jeff Sr. was unhappy because he was in a backup role his freshman year and played sparingly. He had trouble adapting to the college game.
At any rate, he left UC after his freshman year and when he did, Oscar Robertson swore he'd never send another kid to UC.
Jeff Sr. Was a lanky almost gangy kid when he came to UC. This is going to be a very interesting situation I imagine.
One thing is certain, Jeff Sr. could play the game. Damn straight. :D:D

Jeff Robinson from Laurence North is the Jr., Sr went to Broad Ripple circa '81.

[wkrq59]

Thanks, Bobbie. I went back and checked the Indy Star brief when he committed to Purdue.

[Muskie]

Hold onto your hats people. This Jeff Robinson from Broadripple High school appears to be the son of Jeff Robinson Sr., a former All-State and I believe Mr. Indiana Basketball, whom Oscar Robertson recruited and who signed and played for University of Cincinnati under Ed Badger and Ken Banazak in the early 80s. Old Jeff was said to be the best player to come out of Indianapolis since Oscar.
Jeff Sr. was unhappy because he was in a backup role his freshman year and played sparingly. He had trouble adapting to the college game.
At any rate, he left UC after his freshman year and when he did, Oscar Robertson swore he'd never send another kid to UC.
Jeff Sr. Was a lanky almost gangy kid when he came to UC. This is going to be a very interesting situation I imagine.
One thing is certain, Jeff Sr. could play the game. Damn straight.
Check out the other stories and evaluations of young Robinson in the "Xavier adds depth thread. There two threads ought to be combined somehow. I know one thing, though. The kid has really good bloodlines. :D:D

Jeff goes to Lawrence North Q.

[bobbiemcgee]

Believe Sr was All State but not Mr. BB. Was looking at the list and forgot that Justin Cage was a Mr. BB:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Mr._Basketball_award

pretty impressive list.

[wkrq59]

Believe Sr was All State but not Mr. BB. Was looking at the list and forgot that Justin Cage was a Mr. BB:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Mr._Basketball_award

pretty impressive list.

I was just thinking from memory. I know the father went to Broadripple and the kid to Laurence North. I thought Jeff Sr. was a Mr. BB. I know he came to UC as the "next Oscar" and didn't stay long enough to fulfill the prophecy. I think if this young man needs motivation, he'll get it from the Xavier staff, that's for sure.:D

[bobbiemcgee]

I once played with the Big O.....that's right in 1966 off season @ the YMCA on Mc Millian? The game was over in 10 minutes....I was held scoreless, but the Big O was guarding me from 6 feet away.

[wkrq59]

I once played with the Big O.....that's right in 1966 off season @ the YMCA on Mc Millian? The game was over in 10 minutes....I was held scoreless, but the Big O was guarding me from 6 feet away.

Bobbie, I used to ride flights to Metro Conference schools when UC was in that conference and I was working for the Post. Robertson was UC color analyst with Andy Mac on the radio. I will never forget the night when Robertson was shooting shots in Cassell Coliseum the night before a UC game. A janitor came in ans asked why the UC player was working out not with the team. I told him who O was, and he said, "Damn, I'm glad he's not playing the Hokies tomorrow night. He can still shoot. He hasn't missed from three-point range all night.:D:D:D

[Atlas]

I am excited that we added some much needed height to the team. I know the Lawrence North team is loaded every year so playing time is scarce, but I believe he may only earn 6 to 8 minutes a game. PT is earned in practice and from what I have read he may not be the best practice player.

I hope Robinson embarks on what will be a great career at X.

[wkrq59]

All, Chris Mack in the tradition of the coaches that have preceded him at Xavier, and any college coach in his right mind for that matter, promises no playing time to any player. They have to earn it in practice. EARN IT.
The Robinson kid has some excellent genes and yes, at Lawrence North you have to almost fight to get on the court. This kid has the one thing you can't coach, 6-feet, 9-inches. And if he has any of the talent his dad showed when he was sought by damn near every major team in the country way back when, Xavier can start smiling.
I'm also quite sure these things were explained to him long before Xvier offered him. If Mack didn't think this kid could play--and you can bet more than the assistant who recruited him saw him play--he wouldn't have offered, let alone accepted a commitment. This kid could be an answer to a lot of things. Mainly, backup size next yer and support for Kenny the following year.
Xavier can still keep Latham, sign Weatherspoon and still have a scholarship available.:D:D:D

[xufan02]

I hope Robinson works hard and becomes a contributing member of the team. He sounds like he is ready to prove himself.


http://mma.indy.com/posts/lawrence-north-s-robinson-to-attend-xavier

[bobbiemcgee]

They say he was a top rebounder @ the NBA 100 and apparently runs the floor very well for a big dude. If he can play XU "D", I think we will certainly have the scorers this year and for a while to come.

[bobbiemcgee]

Anybody hear how the summer courses went? Think this article was a little pre-mature:

http://hoopsmongrel.blogspot.com/2009/06/jeff-robinson-2009-610-xavier-commit.html

[American X]

Chris Mack is a sinister genius.

[Xman95]

Chris Mack is a sinister genius.

Yeah, I hear this Robinson kid might have some talent. Could be a good pick-up!

[MADXSTER]

Yeah, I hear this Robinson kid might have some talent. Could be a good pick-up!

I don't know, he's had limited high school playing time. :rolleyes:

[JimmyTwoTimes37]

We could really use a 2009 PF. This would be huge!

Reps


sounds very promising, but a little bit of a work in progess. Xavier has always been good at developing bigs, so this guy could end up being a gem.

And Reps


Not to knock on Andrew, but I'd rather have an athletic guy who has all the skills just needs to put them together than Andrew Taylor as our backup PF.
Yet more Reps

Not only that, Xavier has been proven to help develop big men (D Brown, Doellman, Love, Posey, etc). I think X can get the "potential" out of Robinson.

Whats amazing to me is that Robinson only played minimal minutes his senior year of high school averaging 3.5 points per game because that Lawrence North High School was so stacked.

Anyways I like this pickup.

So now we have 2 scholarships left...for JD/Jones/Martin/Canty/Coleman

And written reps for myself

[GoMuskies]

3.5 points a game in high school? Sounds like a redshirt candidate.

I still think he should have redshirted.

[smileyy]

I still think he should have redshirted.

Hindsight is 20/20.

[GoMuskies]

Hindsight is 20/20.

Hindsight?

[HuskyMuskie]

Hindsight?

hind·sight   /ˈhaɪndˌsaɪt/ [hahynd-sahyt]

–noun

Recognition of the realities, possibilities, or requirements of a situation, event, decision etc., after its occurrence.

Use in a sentence: In hindsight, I am glad that I did not attend Dayton.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hindsight

[GoMuskies]

Yes, I think smiley has it confused with foresight (if you read the thread).

And why would you need the benefit of hindsight to know you didn't want to attend Dayton?!? All you should need to make that determination is a sense of decency.