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Being a collegiate basketball player isn't easy, even at the big schools where hoops players are the big men on campus, literally and figuratively. Their sport spans two semesters, starting with October practices and culminating in March and April tournaments. They might work out in the morning, go to class, then practice in the afternoon, tend to injuries minor and major and attend study hall at night.
It gets a whole lot harder when you have to worry about your kid sister. She lives back home in Washington with her father.
"For me to feel comfortable the best way to do that was to be able to reach my lifetime dream and doing that will be able to take care of her," he said.
Robinson, a 6-foot-10-inch forward, has had a marvelous junior season, averaging nearly 18 points per game and 12 rebounds. He won ESPN.com's player of the year award. He's on many All-America teams. He'll likely be drafted among the top 5 players in April's draft and sign a contract worth nearly $4 million a year.
"He certainly has had a remarkable year in large part because I think he's been able to take a terrible situation, tragic, multiple situations and somehow use basketball as his outlet to somehow spin something positive out of it," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "Everybody admires him that comes in touch with him around our camp because I don't know how many guys could do what he's done."