The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/213966
enough for a professional team to take a chance. The younger Robinson quickly discovered the process ramped up immediately after the playing of "One Shining Moment." "That was one of the craziest things I've ever been a part of," he admitted. "The very next morning, there was talk already. We got four, five hours of sleep. I couldn't even go to sleep after the game. "From the game that night to the next morning, I had discussions with my parents, and Coach B sat everybody down that had an opportunity of going to the next stage. He did a great job." As much as Robinson loves Ann Arbor, the conclusion proved far from automatic. "That's a tough decision for any 19-year-old," he admitted. "You see money thrown out and you have a chance to go get that. And it's not even about the money. It's about your dreams you've had the whole time. That opportunity is not guaranteed, ever again. But my confidence in myself is what I looked at to get through it. "It was kind of a toss-up. I believe that coming back was the best decision for me. You have to be the man in college before you can be the man in the NBA. That's something I truly believe. Maybe I'll get more of that opportunity this year." The presence of Burke and Hardaway meant Robinson didn't have to assert a huge scoring presence, and could learn as a freshman. Although the Wolverines still feature plenty of scoring options, the sophomore expects to lead in ways both tangible and intangible. "I didn't need to do as much as maybe I need to do this year," Robinson said. "It's time for me to step up. I think there will be more assertiveness, or whatever this team needs from me. That's what I'm going to do." Nobody needs to urge assertiveness on him now, but that wasn't always the case. Robinson credits his mom, Shantelle, whom he describes as the strongest woman he's ever seen. There's no capitulation in her, especially when it comes to motivating her sons, Glenn and Gelen, a talented football player headed for Purdue. Those two lived in a home with their mom, Grandma Carolyn Crawford, and a cousin whom Robinson considered like a sister. If it wasn't for his mom, Robinson insisted, he might be back home right now, rather than having the basketball world unfurling before him. "She really got tough on me in high school," he recalled. "It was my sophomore year, and I wasn't playing well. The seniors had just left our team, and I had to kind of step up and be the man, very similar to this season. "I wasn't really playing well. A couple of games, I only had four, six points, zero a couple of games. I was kind of being shy, laid back, timid on the court. "She got on me, about everything from my grades to my playing. In