GopherHole.com Player Spotlight: Aaron Robinson

Best Game: at Iowa on February 28th. Aaron’s performance against the Hawkeyes last season was the best of his career. He scored a career-high 12 points while playing a near-career-high 24 minutes. Aaron had a hot hand, as he made 4 of 8 shots from beyond the arc. And he made an equally big impact on offense with his passing and playmaking, finishing with 5 assists and just one turnover. Aaron added 2 rebounds a steal for good measure before fouling out late in the game.

Game to Forget: vs Michigan on February 11th. At first glance this is a surprising choice, since Aaron played 23 minutes against the Wolverines and finished with 5 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. But the biggest number on his stat line came in the turnover column: 6. When the backup point guard (Aaron actually got the start in this game, but Adam Boone played more minutes) commits 6 turnovers, a team usually finds itself in a tough situation. Fortunately, the Gophers still managed to beat Michigan, so Aaron could just treat it as a learning opportunity.

Positive Number: 30. That’s the number of games Aaron played last season. He didn’t miss a one. When Aaron’s size and playing 14 minutes per game in a conference as physical as the Big Ten, that’s a solid accomplishment. And with Adam Boone now injured and a true freshman (Rico Tucker) the only other option at point guard, this season it might be a key. Aaron has been pretty durable during his career, and he’s going to need to be again this year.

Negative Number: 29.5%. That’s what Aaron shot from 3-point range last season. It’s not horrible, and he certainly wasn’t alone, but that’s a number that needs to improve. Without any proven perimeter scorers, the Gophers will be looking for points from wherever they can get them. If Aaron is able to bump his long-range shooting up to the 37+% range (he shot 39% in limited action as a sophomore), that will be a big help. Aaron has the form, but he needs to find a way to get his shots to fall more consistently.

Development Priority #1: Playmaking. I’ve said this before, and I’ll put it at the top of my list again. When you’re 5’8″ and playing in the Big 10, you’re almost always going to be a mole hill amongst mountains. So you need to use your advantage, which in Aaron’s case is quickness. We’ve seen Aaron use it some defensively, but we’ve rarely seen it on the other end of the court. Aaron has beat guys off the dribble, but then he hasn’t been able to do anything else. This is the year that Aaron needs to continue on and create scoring opportunities for his teammates. Part of it is improving his handle, part of it is confidence, and the rest will hopefully come with experience.

Development Priority #2: Leadership. Aaron Robinson probably hasn’t been a name that’s popped into your head when you think about team leaders, but the facts now say otherwise. He’s a senior, he’s the most experienced perimeter player on the team, and he might be the starting point guard on opening day. That says “leader” to me. I’m not sure if it’s even something that Aaron has thought about yet, but he needs to find a way to assume at least part of that role. The most important thing will be for Aaron to lead by example by bringing it 100% of the time. If he goes all out on offense, on defense, in practice, and during weightlifting and conditioning, the rest will follow. Your senior point guard needs to lead by example, and with Adam Boone injured, that responsibility now rests squarely on Aaron’s shoulders.

Ideal Stat Line: 6 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals. These numbers may not look like much, but they represent a substantial increase from Aaron’s career numbers and would be a big boost to the team (and take a lot of pressure off Rico Tucker). Figuring that Aaron could perhaps increase his playing time by 50% (up to 21 minutes per game), he’s still going to need to show another 50+% of improvement on last season’s averages to hit these targets. It’s certainly doable (especially when you look at each individually), but it won’t be easy. Reaching 4 assists per game will probably be the toughest of all. If he can do that and keep his turnovers below 2, Gopher fans will be able to rest a little easier on game days.