David Robinson: An Ever-Growing Arsenal of Attributes
IMAGINE WHAT TYPE OF PERSON YOU COULD CREATE if you morphed the physical and mental attributes of David Robinson, Jr. ’24’s three favorite athletes - The smooth and defensive-minded, two-way play of L.A. Clippers forward Paul George, the energy and free spirit of Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce, and the calm, cool and collected, clutch-under-pressure play of former Seattle Mariners’ third baseman Kyle Seager.
Actually, many of those characteristics are already in the Holy Family University men’s basketball senior center and co-captain’s arsenal.
True, he is not the son of THE David Robinson, the former San Antonio center and NBA Hall of Famer, though every day that he has been playing the game, someone invariably asks him if he is related to “The Admiral”. (Admittedly, sometimes he plays along). He is, however, the proud and only son of David Robinson, Sr. and Charlette Robinson, and the younger (by 10 years) brother to sister Shakia Robinson, herself a standout center at the University of Massachusetts and then New Jersey Institute of Technology. He credits his parents for balancing structure and discipline with nurturing, and his father and sister for developing both his skills and love of the game.
“My father was my first coach, and I owe everything to him for instilling so much in me,” the 6’7” Robinson, Jr. said. “He taught me the game, how to read defenses and even how to lead and carry myself. He was the first person to give me, and teach me to accept, constructive criticism. He preached, ‘If you can handle me yelling at you, you can handle anyone.’ That is true to this day. Growing up, I wanted to be just like my sister. I saw how hard she worked.”
“A coaching friend of mine put David on my radar, and I knew from the moment I met him that he was raised the right way. He shook your hand. He looked you in the eye,” head coach Ryan Haigh ‘05 said. “We were just building the program, and he was a good fit and checked all the boxes. Since then, he has done anything we have asked him to do. He does all the little things. You can yell at him until you are blue in the face, and he is going to give you a thumbs up, an ‘I got you’ and move on to the next play. He is so coachable and has great communication skills as our quarterback on defense. He is like our coach on the floor.”
“My time at Holy Family under Coach Haigh has been eventful and fruitful,” said Robinson, Jr., who will graduate in May with a degree in criminal justice with the hopes of becoming a criminal lawyer. “ I wouldn’t choose anything else. Despite what the record might say and the adversity that I have gone through, I wouldn’t change anything. I don’t want it to be easy. At the end of the day, I understand that this prepares me for life. Through sports, I’ve learned to trust myself. I have full faith in my own words and actions. I predicate myself on drawing out emotions in people, because I know sometimes life gets hard. I think that is why I am drawn to law and to being that person who is able to argue in someone’s defense, maybe turning around the lives of juveniles who aren’t going in the right direction. Maybe these kids just need to have a connection with someone, or have someone in their corner. I feel like I can supply that for somebody. I just feel like I am destined to do something good and to help people along the way.”