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2008 KANSAS BASKETBALL
ROBINSON (CONTINUED FROM 51)
Robinson got 15 steals.
"The bigger the game," Roberts said, "the better he played. He just got more focused."
Robinson signed with the Jayhawks in November of his senior year. After Roberts left to become coach at St. John's, Robinson honored his commitment. He was going to move far from his New York haven to a foreign place, Lawrence.
GROWING PAINS
Two weeks after Robinson got settled into his Jayhawker Towers apartment freshman year, he called his dad with an urgent message. Robinson told him to send a package of belongings from his room at home. Shoes. Clothes. Posters. Pictures. Basketball trophies.
had dropped,
If something reminded Robinson of his hometown, he wanted it.
"I was basically trying to bring New York here," Robinson said.
"Because he was homesick, he kind of kept to himself and talked on the phone a lot."
Lawrence just wasn't the Bronx. The nearby shops and malls didn't fit Robinson's fashion tastes. He didn't like the restaurants and couldn't understand why so many people ate sushi. The laid-back pace didn't suit Robinson like the hustle and bustle of New York did.
His teammates seemed like they were from another planet, too. They went out on weekends, something Robinson rarely did back home. Where he grew up, basketball dominated nearly every part of life.
and his good friend and roommate, Alex Galindo, had already left the team. Self had helped recruit him the year before, but Robinson said he didn't quite relate to Self early on like he did to Roberts.
"I remember feeling left out," Robinson said. "I was used to having everything at my fingertips when I wanted it.
Homesickness worsened when Robinson's successful start to the season turned sour. A turnover problem moved Robinson from first guard off the bench to seldom-used reserve. He didn't play in nearly half the games the final two months of the year.
Robinson could've given up and listened to friends who wanted him to transfer to a Big East school closer to home. He said he never even considered it.
"It was hard to connect with him," senior guard Jeremy Case said. "He didn't really say a whole lot. Because he was homesick, he kind of kept to himself and talked on the phone a lot."
Robinson stayed at his apartment and played video games most weekends and didn't communicate often with teammates. He didn't even like to call home because it made him miss New York even more. Theresa tried to encourage him by sending him poems. Nothing worked.
After the season, rumors swirled that Robinson might transfer. His minutes
JEREMY CASE Senior guard
"I chose KU for a reason," Robinson said. "Even though I was maybe upset at the time or disappointed, I still came here. I wanted to be here. I didn't want to be known as a quitter. I wanted to prove it to myself and my family that I could stay here."
Senior guard Russell Robinson came to Kansas from his home state of New York. Robinson had to work to overcome his feelings of homesickness to play his best and become an NCAA champion.
That summer
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Robinson didn't return to New York once. He worked out every day and added 15 pounds of muscle. Lawrence became his home, too. Robinson started opening up to teammates and coaches, going out more and enjoying Lawrence food, even sushi.
The next season, Robinson became a leader for a starting lineup that included three freshmen. The past three years, he's started every game except two, developed a reputation as one of the best defensive guards in the country and helped lead the team to four straight Big 12 regular season championships and three straight postseason titles.
People tell Robinson all the time that he
"He had a chance to pout and quit," Self said, "but he got tougher and harder. He'll go down as one of my favorites to coach because I think Russell views his play on one thing: wins and losses. ... We can all say that, but are we willing to sacrifice to give us the best chance? I think Russell really is one of those guys."
The skinny boy from the Bronx who missed home and couldn't get off the bench is now one month away from graduating with a degree in communications. During the team's NCAA championship victory parade in early April, he was the player who rode in the last car and held up the championship trophy for the tens of thousands of fans lining the streets of Lawrence to see. What seemed like a nightmare three years ago is now a dream.
"The toughness that he learned from New York, that you have to make it and not give up." Theresa said, "that's how he persevered."
READY TO MOVE ON
should be a coach.
His dad. KU coaches. Friends. Rice High School coach Maurice Hicks. They all think he'd be a natural. Robinson's not so sure.
"Coaching makes you crazy if you ask me," he said.
Robinson will have to decide quickly what he wants to do after his Jayhawk career ends. More than likely, his future will include professional basketball of some kind. Robinson intends to play somewhere, even if he has to go overseas. An NBA executive, who insisted on anonymity, said Robinson's NBA stock could vary depending on Kansas' postseason run. He liked Robinson's toughness and strength
but wondered if he had enough talent to make it in the league.
After basketball, Robinson talked about being a sports agent or an entrepreneur. Theresa and Russell Sr. think their son might try teaching kids in the inner city.
"He really loves kids," Theresa said, "and he likes to set examples, so I know he could be a good role model. He could show them how to achieve and not give up"
Really, Robinson has just one preference for his future.
"Whatever I do, I want to find my way back to New York," Robinson said. "I kind of feel like there's no place like New York. It's going to be hard to stay away from that city."
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN