Bio
James Robinson, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound point guard from DeMatha Catholic HS (MD) committed to the play for Jamie Dixon and the Panthers in August of 2011. He is considered a 4-star prospect by all major recruiting services, and ESPN ranks him as the No. 4 point guard in the 2012 class, the No. 2 player in the state of Maryland, and the No. 43 player overall. Robinson was a part of the gold medal winning USA team at the 2012 FIBA U18 Americas Championships held in Brazil in June. He averaged 4.4 points and 2.4 assists while playing just over 15 minutes a game for the Americans and committed only two turnovers in over 90 minutes of action.
Strengths
Robinson is a true point guard and leader. He plays under control and rarely turns the ball over. An excellent passer, Robinson does a good job getting his teammates involved in the offense, and loves pushing the tempo and leading the fast break. While not overly quick or athletic, Robinson is a good ball handler who is able to beat his defender off the dribble and does a great job getting to the basket. His mid range game is reliable. He has tremendous basketball IQ and rarely takes bad shots. His sturdy build and cerebral play make him ready for the college game. Defensively, he is solid and at times disruptive. Robinson plays with intensity and is a team-player.
Weaknesses
Robinson needs to improve his range as he lacks consistency from behind the arc. While he does compensate for his lack of explosiveness with his ball handling and court vision, he may have some trouble sticking with more athletic guards defensively at the next level.
Impact and Future at Pitt
Robinson should play key minutes coming off the bench this season for the Panthers, and seems to be Pitt’s point guard of the future. Pitt received a commitment from 2013 point guard Josh Newkirk recently, but Robinson is much more of a true point guard and seems more likely to be the starting point guard in 2013 and beyond. Robinson definitely has NBA potential, but he should stick around for at least three years, and will likely be a four year player. Robinson has all the makings of a very good college point guard.
Photo Credit: The Washington Post
