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WHAT'S MY NAME?
WORDS. Lucas Shapiro PHOTO. Jeff Jacobsen/Kansas Athletics
Thomas Robinson
Tomas Robinson has gone through enough struggles that would crumble many a man. In his journey to become a professional basketball player, Robinson has overcome obstacles that few have had to face. But somehow he has managed to keep his head up the whole time, and that is why he could be college basketball's breakout star this year.
It has certainly been a tough road for the 6-9, 237-pound forward, as Robinson has had to fight for everything he has in order to one day achieve his ultimate dream: playing in the NBA. Although he has had to fight the whole way, Robinson realizes that he is lucky to still be chasing that dream, while many of his compatri- ots from Washington, D.C. have not had that opportunity.
"There are a million kids who play bas- ketball in Washington, D.C.," says Rob- inson. "And not too many people get too far with it. But I was lucky enough to get out of D.C."
Luckily, Robinson made it out, but it cer- tainly was not easy. He did not get noticed on the national level in high school until the summer before his post-graduate year at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.
"That's just the story of my career, flying under the radar," says Robinson. "Maybe it was because I had played in the D.C. public schools where the competition was not as good."
Flying under the radar and playing against weak competition changed quickly for Robinson after Bill Self and the rest of the Kansas Basketball staff took notice of his hard-working ways.
"What really stood out about Thomas was his energy level," says Joe Dooley, who is in his eighth season as an assistant coach at Kansas. "Here's a guy that was a high motor, high-energy guy that we thought would really develop over the course of time."
The fight for Robinson continued when he landed in Lawrence. In his first two years, he was stuck behind All-American big men Cole Aldrich, Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris – although this might not have been a bad thing.
"I think one of the best things that has happened to him, and he didn't realize it, is playing with Aldrich and the [Morris] twins," says Dooley. "The level of competition he played every day in practice has enabled him to get better. I mean, when you think about it, all of those guys he played with were lottery picks."
But playing time was far from Robinson's biggest challenge. In the middle of his sophomore year, he lost both of his grandparents
and his mother, all in separate incidents. Robinson's mother, Lisa, died of a heart attack at age 43, which left his nine-year- old sister, Jayla, without any guardian. Robinson had to obtain a waiver from the NCAA to have Jayla stay with him in Lawrence.
With tragedy happening left and right, most would have suspected Robinson to be out for weeks, maybe even miss the en- tire year. Somehow, he did just the oppo- site. Robinson missed one game to attend his mother's funeral, then proceeded to score 17 points and grab nine rebounds in each his next two games against Kansas State and Texas Tech, respectively.
This ability to bounce back so quickly is certainly no ordinary quality. There is no doubt, however, that the loss of his moth- er has had a serious impact on Robinson.
"It changed my perspective of life," says Robinson. "I took things for granted and I definitely don't do that anymore. The rea- son why I bounced back so quickly was from what she taught me. She always told me that I just can't stop, no matter what happens. I'm playing for Kansas and hope to play in the NBA one day, but now, I'm
playing for more than just that."
Robinson's perspective is not the only thing that changed; so has his approach to this coming season. After losing to a lower-seeded team two years in a row in the NCAA Tournament, Robinson wants his Jayhawks to take on a new approach.
"Our mentality wasn't bad the past two years," says Robinson. "This year, our team will know that anybody is capable of getting beaten. It doesn't matter who you are, you should always play as the underdog."
The 2011-12 season is going to be a big one for Robinson. He is already projected to be a first-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, and could be in the running for National Player of the Year. Yet, he and his fellow Kansas teammates are already being overlooked, which is something Robinson is used to. With big names such as Harrison Barnes (North Carolina), Jared Sullinger (Ohio State) and Perry Jones (Baylor) return- ing to their respective schools, Kansas may not be the favorite for once. But there is one thing that should never be forgotten when evaluating players or teams: heart. Robinson has already proved that he has plenty of it, and now it is his time to shine.
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