JALEN ROBINSON BACKS OFF WVU COMMITMENT; STILL LIKES WVU & BIG EAST
October 26, 2010 by NBE Blogger
Bob Huggins and his staff at West Virginia got off to a quick start on the 2012 recruiting trail by hitting up the Buckeye State with a pair of early commitments as forwards Jalen Robinson and Elijah Macon made verbal pledges to the Mountaineers very early in the process. Over the summer Macon announced he was re-opening the process and in the last few days Robinson has made the same decision.
?I decided to open my recruiting back up because I feel like I have to re-dedicate myself to the game, get my priorities together and work on my citizenship and being a better student,? Robinson told NBE this afternoon. ?This is a time for me to get focused.?
The 6-foot-9, 2010-pound power forward surprised many with a verbal commitment last December to the Mountaineers just as his sophomore season at Columbus (OH) Northland High School was getting underway. His verbal came several months after his All-Ohio Red AAU teammate Elijah Macon verbally committed to WVU as well.
?I made an early decision because I felt very good about WVU, and still do, but its time for me to explore,? said Robinson.
Playing with Jared Sullinger at Northland last season, there was plenty of opportunity to see Robinson in action by scouts. When NBE saw him in Springfield (MA) for the Spalding HoopHall Classic last January he demonstrated the promise of a high major prospect. Then just a sophomore, Robinson had several nice moves to the rim, including a couple of spin moves. He is strong and aggressive going to the hole, and had a very impressive basket and foul down the stretch. Robinson uses his body well, and is also able to run the floor and finish. He had 12 points and six rebounds and with a more consistent ability to finish as he matures, the potential as a productive high-major power forward is certainly there.
This summer on the All-Ohio Red 16-U team, Robinson was a key performer on one of the better teams in the country, scoring 8 points in the 16-U national championship contest against BABC, a game won by BABC 56-53. Robinson showed flashes in his time in Orlando to close the July live period, but the consistency we had hoped to see was lacking at times. Still, he demonstrated a tough, hard-nosed style of play with the ability to rebound, block shots and score the ball in traffic that should do him well at the high-major level in the future. With his decision to re-open his recruitment, schools are very interested.
?Schools I?m considering are Wisconson, Iowa, Cincinnati, DePaul, Nebraska, Michigan and Xaiver,? said Robinson. ?Wake Forest and Georgia Tech are in the piscture as well.?
Robinson also made an unofficial visit to West Virginia a few weeks earlier and maintained the Mountaineers are still a school under consideration as well as anyone from the Big East.
?I do still plan to play in the Big East,? he added.
