City of Basketball Love

Ray Dunne (@RayDunneBTB)
--

All the way up until high school, Jay Robinson was always found in the low post on Spring-Ford travel and school basketball teams.

As one of the taller children around, he played the prototypical big man’s game, scoring inside and pulling down rebounds with ease as his size allowed him to do.

Slowly, however, others began to catch up to and eventually pass Robinson in height and weight. To eventually carve out a role on Spring-Ford’s varsity team, he resorted to the one thing that had never failed the 6-foot-1 forward before.

Energy.

Robinson’s persistence to go after the ball and to get up-and-down the floor is what gets him on the court. Even though his role has experienced quite a change from his earlier years of basketball, Robinson loves amping up his teammates when he checks in off the bench.

“It’s just trying to always bring energy, that was our main thing,” he said. “I just wanted to bring that, hype everyone up, just get spirits high.”

However, Robinson doesn’t just bring that mentality to the games. According to Spring-Ford head coach Chris Talley, it’s in Robinson’s nature to bring it everyday regardless of whether or not it is gameday.

“At practice, he’s high energy guy, he’s banging, making people work, pushing you, sprinting the floor both ends, diving on the ground,” Talley said. “He makes everybody accountable and he makes sure everyone is working hard.”

Robinson had never seen varsity minutes prior to this season and has only recently begun to play an expanded role. Nonetheless, with Boyertown nagging at the Rams in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s PAC Liberty Division matchup, Robinson checked in during crunch time.

Typical big men Robert Bobeck and Austin Hokanson both took a seat on the bench to watch as Robinson was tasked with doing battle down low with Boyertown’s 6-2, 220-pound forward Marcus Thomas. Thomas had both an inch and forty pounds on Robinson in what seemed like a match-up that favored the visiting Bears.

Talley, however, felt the situation called for Robinson.

“The 50-50 balls weren’t 50-50 balls, they were 80-20 Boyertown and when Jay [Robinson] checked in, it turned the tide with 50-50 balls,” Talley said. “We were getting loose balls that we weren’t getting in the first three quarters, and that’s why Jay was in there.”

Entering the game with nine points on the season, Robinson scored eight points and pulled down four crucial rebounds in the fourth quarter alone. His performance during Spring-Ford’s push to the finish was enough to put away a 58-44 win for the Rams, who improved to 5-4 on the season and 2-1 in the PAC.

The loss for Boyertown drops them to 5-4 on the season and 1-2 in the PAC. Early on in the season, this loss sets the Bears in the bottom part of the Liberty Division with plenty of basketball left to be played.

The aforementioned stretch for Robinson also featured a couple of plays in which he was flying all over the court in order to secure rebounds or loose balls. To him, relentlessly following the ball is all about how a player approaches it.

“When you’re bringing energy, you’re going to get beat up on the boards, you gotta go dive for a loose ball, you get kicked, you get hit,” Robinson said. “Just staying calm, staying collected, that’s a really big part of it.”

From the very core of his game, Robinson is unique. The big man skills still translate down low, but are not necessarily as effective on the offensive end given his 6-1, 180-pound frame. He admits that scoring is not where he butters his bread.

Where he fits in is defensively, annoying bigger players by pushing them around down low and being able to keep up with smaller defenders off the dribble. When the shot finally goes up, he is quick to box out.

That is why Talley decided Robinson was the one for the job when Spring-Ford needed a change with Boyertown closing the gap to eight. Ironically, it was Robinson’s offense that will be most remembered at the end of this game. Robinson pulled down offensive rebounds on back to back possessions and turning both boards into baskets.

Tonight aside, Talley knows why Robinson will continue to earn his minutes on the floor.

“He does all the things that don’t necessarily always show up in the box score, he’s not hitting threes, he’s not [Noah] Baker high-flying over the rim, but he’s doing all the things that make good teams,” Talley said. “That doesn’t always show up in the box score but it shows up in the win column and tonight was an example.”

A part of a senior class which includes Hokanson, shooting guard Harrison Pierce, and  three-year starting guard Nestor Diaz, it is rather easy to lose track of Robinson. That is the role that Robinson thrives in.

Robinson isn’t concerned about whether or not people talk about his game or how much time he’s receiving. This season means more to him and his teammates than that. After watching the seniors last season narrowly miss both a PAC title and a trip to states, Robinson’s priorities are set.

“When we get a win like tonight, I can’t complain. I did my part, as long as I know I’m working hard, I try to find any way I can to hype the guys up. No matter how much attention we get, we all want the same thing, we all want to win,” Robinson said “I’m here for the championships. I’m here to go far.”