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Tracking the College Basketball Stars of the Future=====

ECU & C-USA Hoops Recruiting Report Wednesday, May 14, 2003 By Thad Mumau Special Correspondent

Ex-defensive end now brandishes hoops skills

©2003 Bonesville.net

Franklin Robinson has made quite a transformation in his athletic career, with the next step taking him onto the campus of East Carolina where he will be a wing player for the Pirates’ basketball team.

Robinson has the reputation for being able to put the ball in the basket, but that wasn’t always the case. In fact, it wasn’t long ago that he was known for his exploits on the gridiron rather than the hardwood.

"My freshman year in high school was my first year playing basketball," said Robinson, a 6-3 1/2, 205-pound lefty who recently inked a grant with ECU. "I couldn’t shoot that well, so I played good defense. I couldn’t do anything but play defense that season."

A defensive end who recorded sacks in bunches as a sophomore, he abruptly quit football in the middle of his junior season. He had caught the hoops bug.

"I gave up football for basketball," Robinson said. "I told the coach my love for football was gone. I loved basketball."

In his senior season, he averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds in leading Sylmar (CA) High to the Los Angeles city semifinals, where it lost in overtime to famed Dorsey High School.

Then he headed to Maine Central Institute.

Predominantly a slasher to that point, Robinson had to find new ways to score. And he did, averaging 17.8 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals against tough competition. He hit 40 percent of his three-point shots and 80 percent of his free throws.

"At the start of the season," he recalled, "I didn’t have much confidence in my jump shot. At the end of December and early January, I shot every day. Then I got my confidence and felt comfortable. The last 10 games, I was known more as a shooter than a slasher."

Robinson averaged around 26 points over his final five games at MCI. Against Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster, he scored his team’s last 17 points and finished with 25 in a nine-point overtime win.

"I think I can become a scorer at East Carolina," he said. "Coach (Bill) Herrion told me everything is open in terms of playing time. I won’t be standing in line behind a bunch of guys, so it’s up to me.

"I think I can play any perimeter position. I’m a combo guard who can play some at the three. I can bring the ball up if I have to, but I wouldn’t be a point guard for a long stretch.

"Defense is still the strongest part of my game. I pride myself on that. 'Help defense' is something I was taught here, keeping an eye on my man while helping out somewhere else. I’m strong on the ball. I learned a lot about defense here. Athleticism baled me out in high school, but I couldn’t do that at this level. There were too many good players."

"Frank is very athletic," MCI coach Ed Jones said. "I don’t know what his vertical (leap) is, but I’d guess around 40 inches. His athleticism is going to be a big surprise to people. He’s going to be a sight when he gets into the lane. He and (fellow ECU signee) Mike Cook will really complement each other. Both love the physical style of play and both can score."

Robinson took only one official visit and that was to Greenville. He had already been told nice things about Herrion by Jones and liked what he heard.

"I know Coach Herrion will go to bat for his former players," Jones said, "as hard as he does when they are playing. He is a tremendous teacher of basketball and really has his teams prepared. I have been a Bill Herrion fan for a long time.

"I think East Carolina is a great choice for Franklin, a perfect fit."

"I liked the coaching staff, I liked the players and I liked how everybody seems focused already on next year," Robinson said of his visit to ECU. "I felt I would fit in well."

Robinson was also recruited hard by Oregon, with Penn State and George Mason making a strong push as well.

"East Carolina got interested in January," Robinson said. "Coach (assistant Greg) Herenda saw me at a tournament in Rhode Island. I opened the game with a dunk on a 6-10 kid, and on the very next play, we pressed and I got a steal, then pulled up for a three-pointer.

"Coach Herenda talked to Coach Jones after the game and called me that night. He kept calling periodically after that.

"Coach Jones had a little bit to do with my decision because he told me all about Coach Herrion. I felt as if I knew him before I even met him."

Robinson said he will be at East Carolina May 20. He plans to take summer classes and play pick-up hoops with some of the Pirates players.

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02/23/2007 02:40:35 PM