Cleaning glass

Robinson set to break school rebounding record

The glass backboards in the UCCU Center look cleaner than ever before thanks to junior forward Geddes Robinson, who continues to clean glass with his rebound stats on the rise.

Rebounding can either win or lose the game for a team, and with the men’s basketball team full of scorers, Robinson knows exactly where he can contribute to help the team win.

“Our team is a solid team as far as scoring goes, so I just try to find somewhere else that I can just fit in, somewhere that we’re weaker,” said Robinson. “Rebounding is that place and that spot that we need more, so I just try to attack the glass every time to grab more rebounds ‘cause it’s better for the team.”

Robinson has pulled down 241 rebounds already this year going into last Saturday’s game against the University of North Dakota and is only 3 away from setting a new school record for boards in a season.

Reaching that mark should be no difficult task, as he is averaging 9.3 rebounds per game with two more regular season games and the Great West Conference tournament, which will take place Mar. 10-12.

“Geddes identifies himself as a rebounder and a competitor; that’s where he gets his enjoyment,” said Coach Dick Hunsaker. “He’s a very intelligent rebounder. The fun of the game [for Robinson] comes from the competition on the backboards, whether it be the offense rebound or the defensive rebound. He has a gift, a good quick reaction to the ball off the glass where he understands the angles very well. His constant movement and positioning, again, is a gift.”

“I want it more. It’s in my blood. I just try to play as hard as I can.”
-Geddes Robinson

That’s not the only record Robinson looks to break this season.

With a team full of scorers, Robinson’s rebounds have paid off with a number of put-back buckets this season. He is averaging 9.1 points per game and has seven double-doubles, which is a UVU record.

“When you grab a rebound, it’s like the defense is at your mercy,” said Robinson. “Basically, ‘cause you’ve reached a basketball while its at its highest point and coming down, you can just explode right back up, whereas the defender has to read your body motion and know when you’re jumping. As soon as I grab it [a rebound], I go right back up or even kick it out for a three.”

Robinson was unaware of the records, and sees his greatest achievement in basketball as “when we win.”

Coming from teams in his past where winning wasn’t very common, he says his only achievement and objective is to help the team win.

When picturing a great rebounder like Kevin Love, Dwight Howard or Tim Duncan, there always seems to be a 6-foot-11 body standing there.

Robinson is 6 feet 4 inches.

Now, Robinson and the Wolverines might not be going up against a bunch of 6-foot-11 athletes, but Wolverine fans and GWC opponents have seen him go above guys four and five inches taller than him to pull down a rebound.

Robinson is able to do it with this in mind: “I want it more. It’s in my blood. I just try to play as hard as I can.”