Mitchell Robinson

Mitchell Robinson
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Position Center
League Conference USA
Personal information
Born (1998-04-01) April 1, 1998
Nationality American
Career information
High school Chalmette (Chalmette, Louisiana)
College Western Kentucky (2017)

Mitchell Robinson (born April 1, 1998) is an American basketball player.

High school career

Mitchell Robinson attended Pine Forest High School in Pensacola, Florida for the first two years of his high school career, briefly transferring to Landry Walker High School in New Orleans as a sophomore, for whom he never played. He did appear for Pine Forest as a freshman and sophomore, but didn't make much of an impact, as he was still relatively new to basketball, only starting playing in 8th grade, during a growth spurt that took him from 6'2" to 6'11".[1] He first appeared in the summer league before his junior year for Chalmette.[2][3]

As a junior, he led the Owls to their first state playoff win in 19 years, and in the second round, helped give the #1 seed and eventual state champion Natchitoches Central all they wanted before bowing out, their closest playoff game until the state final. He averaged 20.9 points, 13.6 rebounds, 8.1 blocks, and 2 steals per game. He made the all-district, all-Metro, and all-State teams for his efforts. Robinson then joined Dallas-based Nike Pro Skills on the AAU circuit for the summer, winning individual honors in the EYBL and leading Pro Skills to the season-ending Peach Jam. His recruiting ranking shot up, and he earned his 5th star. Against the top players in the country, Robinson averaged 15.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 4.1 blocks per game, being named to the All-EYBL second team.[4]

As a senior at Chalmette, he averaged 25.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots per outing, while earning Naismith Trophy All-America honorable mention and MaxPreps All-America honorable mention status as well as USA Today All-USA Louisiana first team honors and being named All-District, All-Metro, All-State, and the All-Metro Player of the Year from the New Orleans Advocate, as well as the St. Bernard Post Male Athlete of the Year for the parish.[5] He led Chalmette to their first championship in their own regular season tournament in 20 years, first district title in 21 years in the toughest basketball district in the state, and to the state semifinals for the first time in 32 years.[6][7] In the Owls' 4 game state playoff run, Robinson averaged 34.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 7.8 blocks. Robinson became the first Chalmette basketball player to be named a McDonald's All-American, and also played in the Jordan Brand classic and the LHSBCA All-Star game.

Playing in the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, he tallied 14 points, three rebounds and two blocked shots.[8] He participated in the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic, scoring 15 points in 17 minutes of play, while pulling down three rebounds.[9]

Robinson originally committed to Texas A&M, but then de-committed to follow coach Rick Stansbury to Western Kentucky. Stansbury had recruited Robinson as the Aggies' assistant coach.[10] Basketball writer Jason Frakes wrote in February 2017, Robinson "may go down as the biggest recruiting coup in WKU basketball history."[11]

College career

In July of 2017, Robinson had enrolled at Western Kentucky University for the summer semester, and practiced with the team for about two weeks before a planned team trip to Costa Rica. Sources then indicated that he had left campus, and his room was cleaned out.[12] He was then suspended indefinitely for violating the team rules.[13]After speaking with head coach Rick Stansbury, he was granted a release to transfer,[14] and barring an unexpected decision by the NCAA, will have to sit out the 2017-2018 NCAA Division I basketball season.

International career

Robinson was named to the preliminary roster of the US under-19 national team in 2017, but did not make the final cut for the 12-men squad for the FIBA World Cup.[15]

At the tryout, Robinson measured 7'0" without shoes, 7'1" with shoes, 223 pounds, with a 7'4" wingspan and 9'3" standing reach. [16]

Playing style

Robinson has been called by some analysts "the best shot blocker in his class", with uncommon closing speed and a long reach that led to numerous highlight reel blocks. He uses that speed also to run the fast break exceptionally well for a big man of his size, being called the "most entertaining player" in the New Orleans area for his ability to convert alley-oop dunks. Robinson improved his free throw shooting over the course of his two years at Chalmette, and developed range from behind the three point line, making as many as 5 in a game. NBA draft projections have compared his game to DeAndre Jordan and Tyson Chandler[17]

References

  1. ↑ http://usatodayhss.com/2013/pace-boys-basketball-sends-a-big-statement-with-win-vs-pine-forest
  2. ↑ "Chalmette makes the most of new big man in rout over Salmen in summer league". The Times Picayune. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  3. ↑ "4-star center Mitchell Robinson enrolls at Chalmette for 2015-16 season". The Times Picayune. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  4. ↑ http://espnky.com/toppers-sign-5-star-center-mitchell-robinson/
  5. ↑ "Mitchell Robinson". Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  6. ↑ "Chalmette 57, East Jefferson 32: Owls gain first outright district title in 21 years". Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  7. ↑ "Chalmette 83, Helen Cox 69: Mitchell Robinson, Glenshaw Amos send Owls to semis". Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  8. ↑ "Mitchell Robinson ready to 'make a difference' at Western Kentucky". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  9. ↑ "Official Basketball Box Score -- Game Totals -- Final Statistics East Team vs West Team" (PDF). jordanbrandclassic.com. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  10. ↑ "Ex-A&M recruit commits to Western Kentucky". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  11. ↑ "Top recruit Mitchell Robinson gives hope to WKU basketball fans". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  12. ↑ Chiari, Mike. "5-Star C Mitchell Robinson Reportedly Leaves Western Kentucky Campus". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
  13. ↑ "Western Kentucky suspends 5-star freshman after he bolts from campus". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
  14. ↑ "Mitchell Robinson granted release to transfer from WKU". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
  15. ↑ News, the Daily. "Robinson doesn't make final cut for USA U19 team". Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  16. ↑ http://www.nbadraft.net/players/mitchell-robinson
  17. ↑ http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2658006-cbb-recruits-with-the-best-chance-to-play-for-team-usa-in-tokyo-2020
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