BleedGopher
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per Alex:
Among those sophomore starters, though, was Aaron Robinson, who had a four-year University of Minnesota career in his future. Robinson was about to get his greatest basketball gift — new coach John Bagley. Bagley was a former Boston College star and five-year NBA player who was getting into coaching.
“The minute he walked through the door, things changed,” said Robinson. “Our whole mindset changed. Our whole offense changed. We started playing faster. We started going at people.”
For Robinson, a 5-foot-10 point guard known as “Little A,” he got the right coach at the right time.
“He taught me the worst thing you can do is pick up your dribble. You’re dead when you do that,” Robinson said. “You have to keep that dribble alive and keep probing. He challenged us mentally. I was learning from the eyes of a point guard who’d been through the wars in the NBA.”
At Minnesota, Robinson was a valued reserve his sophomore and junior seasons before becoming the starting point guard his senior year. He quarterbacked the Golden Gophers to a 21-11 record and a spot in the 2005 NCAA tournament.
“As much fun as I had at Guilford, playing in the Big 10 was it for me,” Robinson says now. “I got to play in these huge arenas against legendary coaches and players who went on to play in the NBA. No one from my family had ever been to college, and I got the full four-year experience.”
Today, Robinson is a physical education teacher and basketball coach at Prodeo Academy, a charter school in Minneapolis. He has two kids, Aaron Jr., age 5, and Laila — named after Laila Ali — who’s 3.
The 37-year-old Robinson still plays basketball two or three times a week.
“You got the high school kids who talk trash so I have to get out there and show them,” Robinson said. “They don’t believe me when I tell them I could dunk (he last dunked when he was 34). I’m old now. They can Google me, but they can’t YouTube me.
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Go Gophers!!
Among those sophomore starters, though, was Aaron Robinson, who had a four-year University of Minnesota career in his future. Robinson was about to get his greatest basketball gift — new coach John Bagley. Bagley was a former Boston College star and five-year NBA player who was getting into coaching.
“The minute he walked through the door, things changed,” said Robinson. “Our whole mindset changed. Our whole offense changed. We started playing faster. We started going at people.”
For Robinson, a 5-foot-10 point guard known as “Little A,” he got the right coach at the right time.
“He taught me the worst thing you can do is pick up your dribble. You’re dead when you do that,” Robinson said. “You have to keep that dribble alive and keep probing. He challenged us mentally. I was learning from the eyes of a point guard who’d been through the wars in the NBA.”
At Minnesota, Robinson was a valued reserve his sophomore and junior seasons before becoming the starting point guard his senior year. He quarterbacked the Golden Gophers to a 21-11 record and a spot in the 2005 NCAA tournament.
“As much fun as I had at Guilford, playing in the Big 10 was it for me,” Robinson says now. “I got to play in these huge arenas against legendary coaches and players who went on to play in the NBA. No one from my family had ever been to college, and I got the full four-year experience.”
Today, Robinson is a physical education teacher and basketball coach at Prodeo Academy, a charter school in Minneapolis. He has two kids, Aaron Jr., age 5, and Laila — named after Laila Ali — who’s 3.
The 37-year-old Robinson still plays basketball two or three times a week.
“You got the high school kids who talk trash so I have to get out there and show them,” Robinson said. “They don’t believe me when I tell them I could dunk (he last dunked when he was 34). I’m old now. They can Google me, but they can’t YouTube me.
History lessons: 'Little A' had big impact at Guilford
Heading into the 1999-2000 NIC-9 boys basketball season, the lament of “Can anyone beat Boylan?” had never been louder. Under coach Steve
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Go Gophers!!