CHAPEL HILL - Brandon Robinson probably isn’t the first guy that comes to mind when you think of North Carolina basketball.
He’s no Michael Jordan, Tyler Hansbrough, Phil Ford or Vince Carter. Still, he does share one thing in common with those guys that helped make them all so great.
And that, which often goes unnoticed, is hard work.
Robinson, or “B-Rob” as most people call him, was recruited as a 4-star shooting guard out of Douglas County High School in Douglasville, GA. The No. 76 player in the 2016 class, Robinson turned down offers from the likes of Florida State, Florida, Tennessee, Clemson and many other top programs in favor of going to school in Chapel Hill.
In his first three years at Douglas, Robinson wasn’t yet the elite scorer he was became during his senior campaign when he averaged 23 points and was voted the Georgia Region 3-AAAAAA Player of the Year.
The 6-5 Robinson, who actually played a lot at point guard in high school, had to put his head down and grind in order to explode on to the national scene like he eventually did.
“I only averaged like eight points a game before my senior year and then I exploded to 23,” Robinson said. “I’ve just always been the type of player that does things to help my team win.”
Doing the little things is something Robinson has prided himself on since he first started playing basketball. And, even at a program like UNC that consistently fields some of the top players in the country, having someone that does the dirty work is still incredibly important.
For Robinson, the game of basketball is about much more than just scoring points, it’s about the many other elements that makes players and teams successful.
“I just try to find my teammates, just try to play good defense, try to make good hustle plays,” he said. “I try to do a lot of things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. That’s what I kind of make my mark off of.”
In his freshman year at UNC, Robinson was a part of a class that included Shea Rush, Seventh Woods and future NBA first-round pick Tony Bradley. While he didn’t put up big numbers, averaging 1.9 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 7.8 minutes per game, he played in every regular season contest before seeing limited minutes in the NCAA tournament
Robinson became one of only 19 players in the history of UNC basketball to win a national title as a freshman after a 71-65 victory over Gonzaga. He didn’t get any playing time against the Bulldogs, but still achieved a goal that he had dreamed of as a kid.
“At the end of the game, you don’t know what’s going on, the buzzer goes off, the confetti falls, you’re just running around,” Robinson said. “It’s kind of hard to describe but that was the greatest memory I’ll ever have. I can talk about that for life because not everybody has a national championship.”
After reaching the pinnacle of college basketball, things didn’t exactly go as planned at the start of his sophomore campaign.
Robinson sprained his right shoulder in the second half of the Tar Heels’ season-opening win over Northern Iowa. After missing two games, he played in UNC’s 34 remaining contests, averaging 1.7 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 8.6 minutes.
While only his rebounding improved, he did start to garner the trust of the man who recruited him.
“Even last year wasn’t what I wanted it to be, but I felt like, as time went on, I progressed and I got better as the season went on and coach (Roy Williams) started depending on me a little bit,” Robinson explained.
Similar to the beginning of his sophomore campaign, he also faced adversity at this season’s outset.
“I remember the first game I barely played, and I was like man, ‘this is my junior year and I’m only playing three minutes,’” Robinson said. “It was kind of hard to deal with but I just put my head down and grinded and just told coach, ‘If you still believe in me, I’m going to go out here everyday in practice and I’m going to push myself and show you that I deserve to be on the court.’”
And, thanks to a lot of time in the gym and a trip back to Douglasville, things started looking up.
“Things didn’t start clicking for me until after Christmas break,” the junior guard said. “I went home and was around my family and they were in my ear telling me, ‘We still believe in you, we know you’re a good player. Just stay in the gym and things will work out, they’ve always worked out for you.’”
Now, Robinson’s putting up the best numbers of his career. Having played in every game except the one against UNCW due to a sore left ankle, he’s averaging a career-best 3.4 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 11.1 minutes per game, including a career-high 11-point performance against St. Francis (PA) on Nov. 19.
In UNC’s six ACC games, all of which have come since those pep talks back home, Robinson is averaging 14.2 minutes, garnering at least 15 minutes in four different games. His three 3-pointers versus Notre Dame proved crucial in the six-point victory.
“I have some confidence in B-Rob,” Williams said after the Heels’ win at Pittsburgh. “He’s doing some good things for us. It’s strange, he only had two rebounds but both of them were offensive rebounds, so I like that, too.”
Robinson’s career at UNC has been a learning experience but he’s finally starting to come into his own. He’s persevered through the adversity because one thing has remained a personal constant: hard work.
“I wouldn't trade it for the world, it’s been a great experience just on and off the court,” Robinson said. “The things I’ve learned through coach and the other players that have come through here, like the pros, is an experience I can never get back.”
However, his experience in Carolina blue isn’t over yet. He’s got more goals to accomplish before his time is up in Chapel Hill.
“I’m not trying to look to next year, but it’ll be my senior year and the Final Four is in Atlanta,” Robinson said. “So that would be big for me to go home and be able to play in front of my friends and family and win a national championship there.”
Staying in the grind might help make that dream become a reality.
