The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/213966
we'd be able to come back. We were still going to fight, but Trey was like, 'We can come back. This is nothing. We do this all the time.' He showed that leadership." The Wolverines did come back, of course, pulling off a miracle rally, with Burke's ICBM of a three-pointer sending to overtime a game Michigan stunningly pulled out 87-85. That led to a blowout victory over the Gators, and one of the craziest, most unguarded, joy-filled moments of all. On the plane ride home from Texas, the Wolverines got to see Beilein in a mode far removed from ment of reaching the final game in the NCAA Tournament. There's still more than a twinge lingering from the 82-76 loss to Louisville in the finale. "It haunts all of us, but especially myself," Robinson assured. "I'm a competitor. I want to win. I'll do anything to win. Watching the national championship as a kid and always wanting to be there and win it, cut the nets down … "To come so close to your dreams, and not be able to catch it, is really upsetting. At the same time, I know how hard we worked. Maybe it just Robinson "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." his stern and demanding practice mode. In fact, Beilein cut it loose with the best of them. "He did the Harlem Shake on the plane," Robinson recalled, laughing at the memory. "We made Coach B the guy on the end, who was just going crazy and doing the dance. I've never seen that side of Coach B before. The smile on his face, and just having him up in the front of the plane, dancing, was just hilarious." The smiles shone through the semifinal and right on through the first half of the championship game. Robinson freely admits, though, the end of the run sticks like a thorn. He understands the accomplish- wasn't meant to be." He's convinced that being in Ann Arbor was meant to be, both originally and this season as well. The latter came with no guarantee, especially after the frantic first-year race to the big stage in Atlanta. Robinson's numbers didn't jump off the page, in a lineup featuring the consensus National Player of the Year and another NBA draft pick. He averaged 11.0 points per game, shooting a notable 57.2 percent from the floor, punctuated with some high-rising dunks. His physical makeup, potential, and bloodlines, as the son of former Purdue and NBA star Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson, could have been