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It took longer than he would have liked, but Robisch has finally blossomed into a legitimate major-conference force.
(Phil Huber)
| Brett Robisch,
Oklahoma St.
Class:
Senior
Position:
Center
Height:
6'11"
Weight:
255
DOB:
April 1,
1975
Hometown:
Springfield,
Ill.
High School:
Calvary
Academy
Vital
Stats: 15.4 points per game, 8.2
rebounds
by Albert
Lin
Fourteen months ago, Brett Robisch's college career was
undistinguished, to say the least. In his first 2 1/2
seasons at Illinois, including a redshirt year, Robisch had
barely stepped onto the hardwood, totalling just 185
minutes of playing time.
Midway through the '95-96 campaign, Robisch began looking for a
way out of Champaign. His brother, Scott, had signed with
Oklahoma State, and, in a twist, big brother followed
little brother's lead, transferring to Stillwater at
midseason. But after sitting
out another year, Robisch struggled to find his game,
averaging 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first 10
contests for the
Cowboys.
That's when things began to improve. Robisch continued to
work hard, and over the final 17 games last season, he
averaged 12.4 points and 7.5 rebounds—numbers closer to
what had been expected from the son of 13-year ABA and NBA
veteran Dave Robisch. "He
knew it would be a struggle at first and not to expect
miracles," Robisch said of his father, who was a
three-time All-Big Eight selection at Kansas from 1968-71.
"That's the thing that kept me going the
most."
Robisch was born
in Denver while his father was playing for the then-ABA Denver
Nuggets. Growing up in and around locker rooms and arenas,
basketball was Robisch's way of life. "Most people
know about me because people watched him," Robisch
says.
"I enjoy it. There's no pressure on me. I'm not going to live up
to him, a two-time All-American. But that's fine with
me."
Robisch, who is married and has a six-month-old daughter,
won't match his father's college career, but he might yet
find similar success in the NBA. In his senior season,
Robisch has matured into one of the better big men in the
country. He still
retains the face-up skills he had as a 6'8" forward in high
school, but he has developed a low-post game befitting a
player his size. He is averaging 15.4 points and 8.2
rebounds in 33.4 minutes per game
and was named second team All-Big
12.
"He's more polished. That's typical of [Oklahoma State
coach] Eddie Sutton's players," says Texas coach Tom
Penders. "Last year
I don't know if we even mentioned him in the scouting report.
This year he can beat
you."
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