If not for the unearthing last night of Savalace Townsend's world-destroying dunk, this is probably the dunk we'd all be talking about.
Thomas Robinson is a physical specimen. I dare you to try and find me a current NCAA basketball player that's more chiseled than he is. You won't find one. The 6-foot-10 power forward isn't just a force on the low block. he can step out and play on the perimeter.
And by that I mean, take a running start from the 3-point arc and destroy everything in his path.
Luckily, all the Oklahoma defenders were smart enough to get out of his way.
The guys at Oklahoma have clearly watched the film from Major League 2.
"Welcome to the big leagues, Hayseed. Next time, don't stand on the tracks when the train's coming through."
- Jack Parkman
But was it as good as these?
Markel Brown, Oklahoma state vs. Texas Tech, 1/31
Royce White, Iowa State vs. Kansas State, 1/31
Savalace Townsend, Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Grambling State, 1/28 (DotY Candidate)
Weekend Recap, 1/25 - 1/29
Tony Wroten Jr., Washington vs. Arizona State, 1/26 (DotY Candidate)
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Dayton, 1/25
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Missouri, 1/25 (DotY Candidate)
Larry Nance Jr., Wyoming vs. San Diego State, 1/24
Dion Dixon, Cincinnati vs. Syracuse, 1/23
Victor Rudd Jr., South Florida vs. St. John's, 1/17 (DotY Candidate)
C.J. Fair, Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh, 1/16
TrayVonn Wright, North Dakota State vs. South Dakota, 1/14
Bandja Sy, New Mexico State vs. Utah State, 1/12
Kenny Hall, Tennessee vs. Mississippi State, 1/12
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Duquesne, 1/11
Kadeem Batts, Providence vs. Louisville, 1/10
Karam Mashour, UNLV vs. CS-Bakersfield, 1/6
Tony Snell, New Mexico vs. Houston Baptist, 1/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgia Tech, 1/3
Trevis Simpson, UNC-Greensboro vs. Miami, 1/2
Orion Outerbridge, Rhode Island vs. Boston College, 1/2
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Indiana, 12/31
DeShon Minnis, Texas Tech vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 12/30
Keith Gabriel, VMI vs. Old Dominion, 12/22
Eric Etherly, Loyola (Md.) vs. Kentucky, 12/22
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. Texas-Arlington, 12/21
P.J. Hairston, North Carolina vs. Texas, 12/21
Robbie Hummel, Purdue vs. IPFW, 12/20
Robert Brown, Virginia Tech vs. North Florida, 12/19
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Kansas State, 12/17
Torye Pelham, Southern Mississippi vs. Ole Miss, 12/17
Quincy Diggs, Akron vs. Florida A&M, 12/17
Anthony Davis, Kentucky vs. Chattanooga, 12/17
Langston Galloway/C.J. Aiken/Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Villanova, 12/17
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. UC-Santa Barbara, 12/16
Jared Cunningham, Oregon State vs. Howard, 12/15
Raheem Appleby, Louisiana Tech vs. McNeese State, 12/14
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Detroit, 12/12
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. UW-Green Bay, 12/11
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Creighton, 12/10
Dion Waiters, Syracuse vs. George Washington, 12/10 (DotY Candidate)
Victor Oladipo, Indiana vs. Kentucky, 12/10
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 12/10
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. Washington, 12/6
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. Marquette, 12/6
Deville Smith, Mississippi State vs. West Virginia, 12/3
Terrence Jones, Kentucky vs. North Carolina, 12/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgetown, 12/1
Anthony Marshall, UNLV vs. UNC, 11/26
Michael Kidd-Glichrist, Kentucky vs. Portland, 11/26/11 (DotY Candidate)
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/25
Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. DePaul, 11/24
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Duke, 11/23
Stan Okoye, VMI vs. Ohio State, 11/23
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Southern Utah, 11/19
Ra'Shad James, Iona vs. Western Michigan, 11/18
Alandise Harris, Houston vs. Arkansas, 11/18
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Jackson State, 11/18
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Wichita State, 11/18
Eric Griffin, Campbell vs. North Carolina A&T, 11/18 (DotY Candidate)
Olek Czyz, Nevada vs. Pacific, 11/17
Chris Watson, Pikeville vs. Mountain State, 11/16
Ray Willis, North Carolina Central vs. Wagner, 11/16
Mike James, Lamar vs. Ohio, 11/15 (DotY Candidate)
Quincy Acy, Baylor vs. San Diego State, 11/15
Deniz Kilicli, West Virginia vs. Kent State, 11/15
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. West Virginia, 11/15
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Oakland, 11/14
Isaiah Brown, East Tennessee State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/12
Michael Lyons, Air Force vs. Army, 11/11
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Morgan State, 11/11
Jeremy Lamb, UConn vs. Columbia, 11/11 (DotY Candidate)
Andre Drummond, UConn vs. CW Post, 11/4
Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. CW Post, 10/26
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Thursday, February 2, 2012
POSTERIZED: Yeah, it's best you not stand in Thomas Robinson's way |
Thursday, November 24, 2011
POSTERIZED: Thomas Robinson shows his stength |
The championship game of the Maui Invitational was a highly-entertaining scrap. Duke and Kansas put on one of the best performances of the early season. The game featured everything, hard fouls, fast break finishes, well-run plays, clutch shots, and even a huge #POSTERIZED dunk.
Kansas' Thomas Robinson is arguably one of the Jayhawks' most important players this season, and while he hasn't emerged as a star just yet, he's on his way.
Throwing down a dunk like is certainly going to help his cause.
(H/T KUbensa)
But was it as good as these?
Stan Okoye, VMI vs. Ohio State, 11/23
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Southern Utah, 11/19
Ra'Shad James, Iona vs. Western Michigan, 11/18
Alandise Harris, Houston vs. Arkansas, 11/18
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Jackson State, 11/18
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Wichita State, 11/18
Eric Griffin, Campbell vs. North Carolina A&T, 11/18 (DotY Candidate)
Olek Czyz, Nevada vs. Pacific, 11/17
Chris Watson, Pikeville vs. Mountain State, 11/16
Mike James, Lamar vs. Ohio, 11/15 (DotY Candidate)
Quincy Acy, Baylor vs. San Diego State, 11/15
Deniz Kilicli, West Virginia vs. Kent State, 11/15
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. West Virginia, 11/15
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Oakland, 11/14
Isaiah Brown, East Tennessee State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/12
Michael Lyons, Air Force vs. Army, 11/11
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Morgan State, 11/11
Jeremy Lamb, UConn vs. Columbia, 11/11 (DotY Candidate)
Andre Drummond, UConn vs. CW Post, 11/4
Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. CW Post, 10/26
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Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Who made the right early entry decision?: Renardo Sidney will be back for another season |
Renardo Sidney is the stereotypical one-and-done prospect.
His family moved from Mississippi to LA when he was 15 years old so they could capitalize off of the hype Sidney produced with impressive performance after impressive performance. He was a product of the summer, making his name on the AAU circuit and ABCD camp and infamously telling the Washington Post high school ball is "not that important". His father was employed by Reebok while coaching Sidney's Reebok sponsored AAU team. He was turned down by both UCLA and USC before enrolling at Mississippi State. After sitting out for a year due to illegal benefits that he received while in high school, Sidney tweeted "NYC #2011 Believe Dat" last summer despite still having to sit out nine more games.
It only made sense that Sidney would bolt for the NBA at the first opportunity.
Which why its a mild surprise that Sunday's early entry deadline came and went and Sidney's name was not entered, living up to the promise he made on facebook back in March.
Sidney needs another year in school. Right now, the only thing worse than his reputation as a basketball player is his reputation as a person and a teammate. Sidney was twice suspended for fighting with a teammate (one of those times came in the stands during an ESPN telecast) and was largely ineffective for much of the season due to the fact that he was completely out of shape and lacked the desire to a) change that fact and b) give consistent effort when he did have energy.
While most of the focus on a basketball player's time in college is on his development as a player, its also true that these players develop and mature as people. That is why Sidney needs another year in school. He needs to learn how to be a man. How to be a professional.
Derrick Caracter agrees.
The first step in that process? Making the choice to come back for another year at Mississippi State.
Who else made the right early entry decision? (Looking past the Kemba Walkers and Derrick Williams' of the world)
Knight is likely going to be a top ten pick in this draft after averaging over 17 points and four assists per game and proving that he had the ability to perform in the clutch in the tournament. But if Knight had returned to school, he likely would have been forced to, at the least, split the point guard duties; most believe that Marquis Teague would have started over him.
Lamb was a breakout performer in March. The 6'5" guard with the wingspan of a pterodactyl developed the aggression and the confidence to be a serious scoring threat for the Huskies in the Big East and NCAA Tournaments. But the lack of consistency during the season and a frail frame put doubt into some NBA GM's minds. With Kemba Walker going pro, Lamb will have a chance to prove his mettle as the Huskie's offensive focal point.
Leonard might be the best physical specimen in this draft class. He's 6'7" with big hands, long arms, and terrific athleticism and explosiveness. He's relentless on the offensive glass and is a very good defender, both on the perimeter and in the paint. But Leonard's offensive repertoire has a ways to go. He can develop that in the NBA with a guaranteed contract as a lottery pick locked up. Coming back, especially considering the drop off in talent for the Aztecs next season, Leonard risked exposing his faults.
Robinson is a terrific prospect based on his size (6'9"), strength, and athleticism. The only thing missing in that equation is consistent production. He was impressive in the short time that he was on the floor, but on the season Robinson only managed to average 7.6 ppg and 6.4 rpg. Coming back for another season with both of The Morrii off in the NBA, Robinson will have a chance to prove what he can do as the go-to option in the post.
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Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Thomas Robinson arrested; does he deserve a pass on this? |
As if Kansas Jayhawk big man Thomas Robinson hadn't already dealt with enough this year, he now has a legal issue on his hands.
Robinson has been cited to appear on a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from an incident at a nightclub called The Cave in Lawrence. Robinson, who is 20 years old but was not under the influence of alcohol, was allegedly involved in a physical altercation with one or two men outside of the club. Brady McCollough has the deets:
A statement by the Lawrence Police Department said that officers were called to The Cave around 2:05 a.m. on the morning in question because of a fight. Officers arrived to find a large group of people outside the night club yelling and walking around the area. One victim, a 25-year-old male who resides in Lawrence, alleged that Robinson had struck him and then spit on him.
A witness reported that a large fight had broken out inside the bar as it was closing. Bar staff moved the conflict outside, where the witness observed the alleged battery. The witness also observed an unidentified second suspect, said to be around 6 feet, 7 inches tall, hit another victim, a 23-year-old Lawrence resident.
KUSports.com has some more information:
Adam Lauridsen, a bouncer at The Cave who worked the night of the incident, told the Journal-World that several members of the basketball team were outside the bar around closing time as staff members were clearing people out of the club."We are aware of this situation," Kansas head coach Bill Self said on Tuesday morning in a statement, "due to the fact that Thomas notified me immediately following his being interviewed by the police that morning, at approximately 2 a.m. about an incident that occurred just prior. Thomas is fully cooperating and we will not have any further comment about this situation as the investigation plays out."
One of the people who was accompanying basketball players — but not himself a player — got angry at another bouncer, Lauridsen said, and eventually hit him in the head.
Several members of the basketball team — including Robinson — began pulling the man away from the other bouncer, Lauridsen said.
During that scuffle, he saw Robinson appear to get angry.
“He hit one of my buddies in the head,” Lauridsen said, adding that he also saw Robinson spit on the bouncer.
There are a couple of things to look at here.
For starters, this is far from the first legal run-in that the Kansas basketball team has had in recent years. Who can forget the battle royal that the Jayhawks had with their football playing counterparts a year and a half ago, a scrap that created the term "Point Plankn"? Then there was Markieff Morris' arrest for drunkenly shooting people with a BB gun. And Brady Morningstar's DUI. And Mario Little's arrest for domestic assault back in December. Sherron Collins was accused of exposing himself to a cleaning lady in his dorm in 2007. Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur were kicked out of the NBA's rookie camp in 2008.
The other point that must be made is that Robinson can no longer afford incidents like this. Getting charged with misdemeanor assault stemming from a fight in college is, in the grand scheme of things, not that big of a deal. Even if Robinson was drunk. We were all 20 years old once. The majority of us drank underage. And I'm willing to bet that the majority of the folks that drank underage lost their temper upon occasion when their veins were flowing with liquid courage.
Robinson, however, is in a unique circumstance. It was reported all season long that his goal was to one day gain custody of his younger sister. One way to make a court wary of providing a 20 year old the responsibility of taking care of a child is to get in fights at two o'clock in the morning.
That said, I think that we have to give Robinson the benefit of the doubt in this instance.
No one (I should say that I truly hope no one) has had to experience what Robinson has experienced over the last four or five months. And now he no longer has the basketball season to keep him focused -- or distracted, depending on how you look at it.
One incident can be interpreted as a mistake by a young man dealing with a tremendous amount of stress and emotion. Another incident, and it becomes a bigger problem.
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Monday, January 24, 2011
Send up a prayer for Thomas Robinson tonight |
If there is anyone that you are going to root for this season, it should be Thomas Robinson.
In December, Robinson's maternal grandmother passed away. On January 16th, his maternal grandfather died. And on Friday night at 11:00 pm -- only 17 hours before the Jayhawks were scheduled to tip off their most important game of the entire regular season -- Robinson found out that his mother had died of an apparent heart attack.
She was only 37 years old, a single parent that was raising Robinson's nine-year old sister Jayla. His sister was the one who called to give Robinson the tragic news.
“How his life has changed so much just overnight, it’s a pretty sad thing. People deal with it all the time. He’ll deal with it like a man. But still your heart certainly hurts for him and his family,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.
“As a coach, you always think your players like each other,” he added. “That’s always been a quality all teams have – good teams like each other. It’s very important. And last night I saw a different level than I even knew existed. It was pretty special. The mothers of some of the players that live here were over there. The whole team was there. It was the saddest thing I’d ever seen in my life. It was something that was humbling but also made you proud. They do care about each other an awful lot.”
I feel for Robinson. He never knew his father, which means he lost essentially entire in the span of a month, and his sister lives in Washington DC.
Robinson made the decision on Saturday morning, after being up all hours of the night with his teammates and some their families. He won't be making the trip to Colorado with his team for Tuesday's game. He is flying back to Washington DC, and his mother's funeral looks like it will be held either Thursday or Friday.
I'll touch on the the Texas game and what it means in tomorrow's Pregame Beat.
For now, my thoughts and prayers go out to Thomas Robinson. Keep your head up, big fella.
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009
No. 1: 2009-2010 Team Preview: Kansas Jayhawks |
2008-2009 Record: 27-8, 14-2 Big XII (1st)
Key Losses: None
Key Returners: Sherron Collins (18.9 ppg, 5.0 apg), Cole Aldrich (14.9 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 2.7 bpg), Tyshawn Taylor 9.7 ppg, 3.0 apg)
Newcomers: Xavier Henry, Jeff Withey, CJ Henry, Thomas Robinson, Elijah Johnson
Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich both may be first team all americans this year.(photo credit: UMHoops)
Just one year removed from winning a national title and losing his top six players, Bill Self has completely retooled his roster. The Jayhawks are absolutely loaded this season. How loaded? Just take a look at the 12th, 13th, and 14th men on their roster. Travis Releford, a sophomore, was a top 75 recruit out of Kansas, picking the Jayhawks over the likes of Texas, UConn, and North Carolina. Jeff Withey, a redshirt freshman who will be eligible at the end of the 2009 semester after transferring from Arizona, was a top 50 recruit in 2008. CJ Henry was one of the best prospects of the 2005 class before choosing to play baseball in the Yankees organization. Those three guys would start for a number of Big XII schools, and may not even sniff the court for Kansas this year.
The biggest reason for the Jayhawks being the consensus number one team in the country is the inside-outside combination of Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich. Aldrich may be the most dominating presence in the paint this season. At 6'11" with the wingspan of a pterodactyl, he can control the glass and is one of the nation's best shotblockers. Offensively, he didn't show great back to the basket moves, but his jumper (despite being hideous looking) is soft and he is a good finisher at the rim. If he put in the work during the off-season, expect Aldrich to be improved on the block this year. Everyone should know about Collins. Built like a bowling ball, Collins can shoot it, he can drive to score or to pass, and he is a proven clutch performer that isn't afraid to take (and make) a big shot. Collins is a natural leader, which is perfect for a team that is still relatively young. With the amount of talent on this roster, expect Collins' scoring numbers to dip a bit this year as he spreads the ball around more.
The likely starters on the perimeter will be sophomore Tyshawn Taylor and freshman Xavier Henry. Taylor is an excellent role player to stick in the off-guard spot. He has the talent to be a 15 ppg guy, but he is used to filling a role on a loaded roster (his high school team at St. Patrick's had seven D1 players on it). He has the handle and the play-making ability to play a little bit of point guard this year, but where his biggest contribution will be is on the defensive end. His long arms and quick feet will make him a night mare for opposing two guards. Henry might be the missing piece for Self. With a dynamic point guard, size inside, and role players and shooters on the perimeter last year, the one thing this Jayhawk team was missing was a big time scoring talent on the wing. Henry, a strong, 6'6" two-guard, is exactly that. The only concern that Self will have with Henry is his attitude - will he understand that he is not "the man" on this Jayhawk team and defer to Collins and Aldrich?
The rest of the Kansas back court is talented as well. Tyrell Reed, who was the 2008 Kansas high school player of the year, is a shooter first and foremost. A coaches son, he is a smart kid that understands the game and can play a little point if necessary, but where he will be utilized by Self is as a spot-shooter on the perimeter that will help spread the floor. Mario Little is a JuCo transfer that struggled to get time on the court last season. When he did, he produced, averaging 4.7 ppg and 3.2 rpg in just 12 mpg. He is an athletic slasher that is at his best in the open floor. Brady Morningstar is a former walk-on who earned his starting spot last season. A pesky defender and excellent shooter, Morningstar may have cost himself this season with his DUI back in September. He will not return from suspension until the end of the first semester, and by then Self will likely have his rotation figured out.
Of this group, Elijah Johnson probably has the most upside. Similar to a guy like Collins, Johnson is a solidly built, 6'2" point guard. He's explosive, he can get to the rim, he can shoot it from deep, and he makes the game look effortless. His issue is that he has a rep for being lazy, for coasting during games. If Self, or maybe even Collins, can light a fire in this kid, he should be a more than adequate back-up for Collins and may end up being a first round pick down the road.
The most improved players this season may end up being the Morris twins, Markieff and Marcus. Last season, the two showed flashes of potential, but they weren't big or strong enough to handle the rigors of the Big XII. But over the summer, the twins spent quite a bit of time in the weight room, adding strength, mass, and improving their athleticism in the process. Marcus is a bit more developed on the offensive end while Markieff is a better defender at this point in his career. Regardless, expect a big season out of these two as they will provide energy and athleticism for Self, both on the defensive end and on the glass.
The other guy expected to see time in the front court rotation is Thomas Robinson. At 6'9", Robinson is a fantastic athlete that can get out and fill a lane on the break. He isn't the strongest player inside right now, but he can finish above the rim and has shown a decent offensive game around the rim. Similar to Marcus Morris, Robinson can also step out and play the high post. He has a solid 15 foot jumper, and his passing and ball-handling ability will make him a difficult match-up for any opposing post.
Outlook: Kansas had a bit of a tumultuous off-season, as the basketball team's multiple skirmishes with the Jayhawk football team made national headlines. But as much of an issue and as big of an embarrassment as it was for Bill Self, some took it as a good sign. This wasn't one guy on an island fighting 60-some football players. This was the whole team having the back of a couple players with an issue. While there were certainly better ways to solve the issue than to take it to fists, Self has to be happy that he has a team that is close-knit enough that they didn't hesitate to have each other's back. I don't think that it will be much of a distraction at this point. The bigger issue is going to be how Self handles having this much talent on his roster. Will there be enough shots and minutes to go around to keep everyone happy? If he can manage and massage egos, Kansas looks like the clear cut favorite to cut down the nets in Indianapolis.
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