Jackson Robinson He'll be the first to admit that the deadline to defer the draft was tough. Like any basketball player, his ultimate dream is to play in the NBA. He had to decide if now was the right time or if he wanted to play one last time in college.
The former BYU star and reigning Big 12 Conference Sixth Man of the Year avoided posting on social media as much as possible leading up to the midnight deadline and in the hours that followed, but he knew the entire basketball world, especially Big Blue Nation, was nervously waiting.
But the time was right, so he made the decision, and now, a few weeks later, after the dust has settled, he's convinced that his move at that lunch on May 30 was the right one.
“I knew[people were waiting for an announcement],” Robinson told KSR, “and of course I tried not to dwell on it too much, because at the end of the day, it was a hard decision. I'm glad I made the right decision.”
The 6-foot-7 wing said he knew right away that a return to college was probably what he would end up doing, but postponed it until after the deadline because “nothing was set in stone yet” and he just needed to work out a few details before making it official.
But what's interesting is that Robinson knew from the start that Kentucky was his destination if he decided to withdraw his name from the draft. He may have tried other schools — rumored to be BYU and Kansas — but his heart was set on playing for Mark Pope in Lexington.
“Even before anything happened with the NBA, I knew if I came back to college this would be here,” he told KSR. “Me and Coach Pope were really close and he's my favorite player, so I'm excited to be here.”
After signing with a Kentucky logo on his chest every day and then moving and officially becoming a part of the Wildcats, he finally began to understand the gravity of his situation. This was what he had always wanted and now it was a reality with the jersey and locker to prove it.
“I'm excited. I grew up looking up to Kentucky and it's amazing to see and experience all of this environment,” he said. “Putting on a Kentucky jersey is surreal. Honestly, it's something you can't manufacture. I'm excited.”
Mark Pope wanted Robinson back for another year.
One person we know shares that same excitement: the head coach who had Robinson at the top of his priority list from the moment he moved from Provo to Lexington. Pope wanted to give the BYU star some leeway when deciding what was best for Robinson's basketball future, but was willing to do whatever it took to make sure Robinson could play at Kentucky if he felt playing one more season of college basketball was the answer.
“Really special, really important player,” Pope told BBN Tonight's Maggie Davis last week. “Jackson was supposed to be drafted this year. He was obviously in the draft, but he wasn't sure where he was going to be. But he proved that's the player he is. He's been with me for two years, and we've gone through a real development cycle at BYU. He knows us really well.”
This roster is talented and experienced, with six other players being super seniors entering their final year of eligibility, meaning they not only have a few more players with experience, but also more time on the clock and three talented freshmen to add to the mix.
But none of them had played for Coach Pope at BYU. None of them knew how he ran the game or were familiar with his system from a practical standpoint. All they knew was what they had seen on film and heard from the new coach.
Robinson changed all that by adding a pro-level talent to the team who was a star player in Pope's system and a fifth-year senior himself. He checked all the boxes and, thankfully, the missing piece was found.
“He's important for a lot of reasons,” Pope added. “First, he's a great player and a professional. Second, he's one of the most dangerous offensive players in college basketball and he's proven that. Third, he has the potential to be an elite, elite-level defensive presence on the court. And fourth, and probably most important to me and probably the team and the locker room, he knows me. He knows our style of play. He's the only player on this roster that has really played our unique, offensive style. He's going to be a great advocate and interpreter of what we do and how we do it.”
“For all of those reasons, it's really important that he's on this team. And then for me personally, the fact that I get to watch him continue to develop in his third year. Selfishly speaking, it's just exciting for me.”
There was never any doubt on Robinson's side: The BYU transfer was definitely going to come back to Kentucky after withdrawing from the draft.
