Went to the game with the Mrs. and my two boys (13 and 9). Good times. 9-year old had some good popcorn, soda, we got a good parking spot, and I caught up with some buddies. Oh, wait, you want to hear about Jerome Robinson 
. There is good news and bad news. Let me start with the bad news...
BAD NEWS:
Robinson's team lost 58-51. Robinson's team was beasting it in the first quarter and then the wheels completely came off in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.This was not Robinson's best game. Candidly speaking, if all of Robinson's games were like tonight then he would be attending community college instead of BC. He may of had 12-14 pts and a couple reboundsHe was somewhat careless with the ball. Forcing passes that didn't need to be forced.It was tough to get a take on his handle because he didn't handle the ball a ton in traffic. He was the main ball handler at times and then played the two guard and then sometimes the wing. But I'll say his handle didn't stick out to me either way.He didn't seem that active on the boards. If I'm 6-5 and have supreme athletic ability like he does (see GOOD NEWS), then I have 5-6 boards with my eyes closed. He didn't seem to battle like I would expect.He didn't take over the game. The team needed him to take over a few times and he didn't.He didn't penetrate all that much. He did twice and both were really sweet. But I would think he would be taking it to the hole a bunch with his ability. Kind of settled for threes more often than not.I hate to say it, but overall, kind of blah.
GOOD NEWS:
First off, Robinson plays in the Cap 8 league in Raleigh. Big schools. Probably one of the top 2 or 3 leagues in NC. So the competition is very good.One of my good buddies was at the game and said Robinson was not himself tonight. He said Robinson is a super player and can hang with top talent. And my buddy is a bit of a sandbagger when it comes to saying how good a kid is, so I was surprised to hear high praise from him.Robinson is a supreme athlete. The kid can jump out of the gym. Quick off his feet and moves smooth as silk. My wife said he was "floating around" on a different athletic level than everyone else. And he was.He is really quick. At times he had to guard Leesville's PG who is small and quick as lightning and Robinson hung right with him. He slides well. Good position.He does have a nice, natural stroke. Good rotation. I saw him at halftime drain 8 or 9 threes in a row. Smooth. And he elevates a lot on his shot.He has good length. Thin as a rail, but overall good length. I can see him playing shooting guard and maybe a little wing if we go small. I liked his fire and passion. I liked his demeanor on the court. I can tell the kids like him, the coach likes him, seems like a good kid, etc.
I wish I could say he scored 40 pts, with 5 dunks, 18 rebounds and was just toying with everyone tonight. But that is not the case. He was a bit off. But, don't go jump off the Tobin into a snowbank! The kid definitely has some game. That is evident. And he is quite athletic...so Christian and the staff have a lot to work with. I cannot see him coming in day 1 and being a starter. If he is then we're in trouble. But I can see him playing 6-10 minutes and every once in a while putting up 7-8 pts. If Christian and the staff can work his ass off, and get him to compete at the highest level all the time (think rebounding effort), then I could see him becoming a starter as a jr./sr. and contributing 10 or so pts per game.
PS: Guru2 - apologies as I didn't check the board all day and then went to the game. So I just saw your note. I will try to get to another game later this year (maybe Millbrook this Friday?) and I will ping you.
. There is good news and bad news. Let me start with the bad news...BAD NEWS:
Robinson's team lost 58-51. Robinson's team was beasting it in the first quarter and then the wheels completely came off in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.This was not Robinson's best game. Candidly speaking, if all of Robinson's games were like tonight then he would be attending community college instead of BC. He may of had 12-14 pts and a couple reboundsHe was somewhat careless with the ball. Forcing passes that didn't need to be forced.It was tough to get a take on his handle because he didn't handle the ball a ton in traffic. He was the main ball handler at times and then played the two guard and then sometimes the wing. But I'll say his handle didn't stick out to me either way.He didn't seem that active on the boards. If I'm 6-5 and have supreme athletic ability like he does (see GOOD NEWS), then I have 5-6 boards with my eyes closed. He didn't seem to battle like I would expect.He didn't take over the game. The team needed him to take over a few times and he didn't.He didn't penetrate all that much. He did twice and both were really sweet. But I would think he would be taking it to the hole a bunch with his ability. Kind of settled for threes more often than not.I hate to say it, but overall, kind of blah.
GOOD NEWS:
First off, Robinson plays in the Cap 8 league in Raleigh. Big schools. Probably one of the top 2 or 3 leagues in NC. So the competition is very good.One of my good buddies was at the game and said Robinson was not himself tonight. He said Robinson is a super player and can hang with top talent. And my buddy is a bit of a sandbagger when it comes to saying how good a kid is, so I was surprised to hear high praise from him.Robinson is a supreme athlete. The kid can jump out of the gym. Quick off his feet and moves smooth as silk. My wife said he was "floating around" on a different athletic level than everyone else. And he was.He is really quick. At times he had to guard Leesville's PG who is small and quick as lightning and Robinson hung right with him. He slides well. Good position.He does have a nice, natural stroke. Good rotation. I saw him at halftime drain 8 or 9 threes in a row. Smooth. And he elevates a lot on his shot.He has good length. Thin as a rail, but overall good length. I can see him playing shooting guard and maybe a little wing if we go small. I liked his fire and passion. I liked his demeanor on the court. I can tell the kids like him, the coach likes him, seems like a good kid, etc.
I wish I could say he scored 40 pts, with 5 dunks, 18 rebounds and was just toying with everyone tonight. But that is not the case. He was a bit off. But, don't go jump off the Tobin into a snowbank! The kid definitely has some game. That is evident. And he is quite athletic...so Christian and the staff have a lot to work with. I cannot see him coming in day 1 and being a starter. If he is then we're in trouble. But I can see him playing 6-10 minutes and every once in a while putting up 7-8 pts. If Christian and the staff can work his ass off, and get him to compete at the highest level all the time (think rebounding effort), then I could see him becoming a starter as a jr./sr. and contributing 10 or so pts per game.
PS: Guru2 - apologies as I didn't check the board all day and then went to the game. So I just saw your note. I will try to get to another game later this year (maybe Millbrook this Friday?) and I will ping you.
