WKU Basketball: Reports — Mitchell Robinson To Re-Enroll at WKU
Sunday morning, after rumors swirled Saturday night about Mitchell Robinson potentially returning to WKU, Chad Bishop from WBKO reported…
Sunday morning, after rumors swirled Saturday night about Mitchell Robinson potentially returning to WKU, Chad Bishop from WBKO reported that Robinson will indeed return to Western Kentucky for his freshman season.
Robinson’s recruiting drama has been nothing short of exhausting since the day he committed in June of 2016. Since his official departure from the program on August 1, Robinson has found out the hard way that his options were limited. After programs such as Kansas and LSU passed on Robinson due to eligibility issues, it became apparent that Robinson’s only options were to play overseas, sit out the season or return to WKU and actually play the 2017–18 season before the NBA draft. The return of Robinson just is another chapter of perhaps the craziest recruiting story in recent memory.
This has the feel of a high risk and high reward situation for Rick Stansbury. Robinson probably already alienated himself from several teammates leaving abruptly before their trip to Costa Rica. He’ll now have to repair those relationships and hopefully regain the trust of his team and coaches. I’d image Robinson will probably receive at least a 1–2 game suspension for his previous actions.
We can speculate that Robinson received bad advice throughout his recruiting process, especially towards the end. He will not only have to rebuild that trust with teammates but a large segment of the fan base. It will be worth monitoring Robinson’s attitude throughout the season. If he embraces the opportunity to showcase his skills and plays team ball then all will be forgiven. If he mopes around, it could derail team cohesion and ruin a promising season.
The upside of Robinson is obviously enormous. He is WKU’s best recruit in 50 years. Elite players like that rarely go to places like WKU, despite the rich history. There is a segment of the fan base that moved on, but most people need to realize the more talented you are the more chances you get in life. Robinson will bolster a thin front line that is still waiting on Moustapha Diange to be cleared by the NCAA and Robinson Idehan to rejoin the team in the second semester of the season.
Robinson’s talent elevates the ceiling for WKU’s basketball team; instead of just competing for a conference title, WKU is now the overwhelming favorite to win Conference USA and earn a potential at-large berth. Once there, they can realistically expect to compete through the second weekend, because Robinson’s elite shot-blocking ability can separate WKU from several teams.
WKU’s fanbase will once again get their hopes up for a special season. Robinson has planted a seed of doubt that won’t disappear until there are signs of growth and happiness at WKU. Whatever happens the national spotlight will be even brighter in Bowling Green. Time to buckle up and enjoy the ride.
What do you think of Robinson returning to WKU? Did Stansbury make the right decision? Will this hurt team chemistry? Let us know in a comment below, via Twitter at @TheTowelRackWKU or on our Facebook page.