Jackson Robinson, the reigning Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year and one of the best transfers in college basketball, had Kentucky fans sweating on Wednesday night and celebrating on Thursday afternoon.
Robinson, who hadn't made his official announcement until Wednesday after the 11:59 p.m. deadline to opt out of the NBA draft, finally revealed his plans to return to college and transfer from BYU, where he was the leading scorer on a 23-win team in the NCAA Tournament last season before moving to Lexington with former coach Mark Pope. For the Wildcats, the wait has been worth it.
Robinson is the 12th player and ninth transfer drafted by Kentucky since Pope took over as head coach in April, and perhaps the most important. Kentucky has built a solid roster of strong defenders and 3-point shooters, but is still in desperate need of a wing scorer who can score in multiple ways. The 6-foot-7 Robinson fits that bill perfectly, averaging 14.2 points in 26.4 minutes per game on 35.4 percent 3-point shooting last season. Athletic He is rated as the 29th best player in the transfer portal and the best addition for Kentucky.
Robinson averaged 16.8 points, shot 41.5% from 3-point range and made 16 of 17 free throws in BYU's six wins last season (over Kansas, Baylor, Iowa State, Texas, San Diego State and North Carolina). The former top 100 player spent two seasons in the SEC (one each at Texas A&M and Arkansas) before playing two years at BYU.
Pope had already landed former BYU prospect and top 40 player Collin Chandler to Kentucky, but he didn't actually lure any of his former players. Two signed with rival Louisville, and two others backed out and returned to the Cougars. But Robinson was the biggest catch Pope was able to acquire from his former school, and although it took a lot of patience, he finally fished out the perfect player to complete his starting roster at Kentucky. The Wildcats might use their 13th and final scholarship on a long-term project, but this one was a must-have.
Robinson joins other transfers Ansley Almoner (Fairleigh Dickinson), Koby Blair (Dayton), Lamont Butler (San Diego State), Andrew Carr (Wake Forest), Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State), Carr Klisa (West Virginia), Otega Oweh (Oklahoma) and Amari Williams (Drexel). This group combined to make 424 of 1,069 3-point attempts last season for a 39.7 percent success rate, fourth best in the nation. Butler, Oweh and Williams are high-end defenders, and most of the others can make the shot.
Five Wildcats players — Blair, Klisa, Almonor, Carr and Robinson — made at least 35 3-pointers at a 35% or better rate. Four-star freshman trio Trent Noah, Travis Perry and Chandler made over 40% of their 3-point attempts as high school seniors. Blair led the NCAA in 3-point shooting percentage (.498) and Pope's BYU offense was second in the nation in 3-point attempts last season. So, it's pretty predictable how Kentucky will play offensively next season.
But what Robinson brings to the team is a player who can do more than just catch and shoot. He's good at bouncing the ball off the floor and shooting on the move, and he's also a capable scorer inside the arc. His size and length (6-foot-11 1/4 wingspan at the NBA Combine) help him finish at the rim. He also shot 90.8 percent of his free throws last season.
Robinson is bigger and has a much more proven track record against high-major competition than North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier, the wing option who picked Tennessee over Kentucky last week. Those factors, along with Pope's familiarity with the system, made this a perfect match. And Robinson certainly had other upside options, allowing the Wildcats to play up the NIL power. His addition solidified Kentucky as a preseason top-25 team, so he was worth the wait and whatever the cost. AthleticCJ Moore had the Cats ranked before Robinson committed.
With this lineup, Pope should be able to field an NCAA Tournament team in at least his first year.
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