As the leader on a BC basketball team that won its most games in seven seasons, Jerome Robinson is our pick for Male Athlete of the Year. An expected first round pick in Thursday’s draft, Robinson put up one of the more memorable seasons on the court that we have seen from an Eagle in some time.
An insanely versatile scorer, Robinson put up 20.7 points per game, including a season high of 46 in a loss to Notre Dame. Robinson scored 25 points or more 12 times on the season, including three games with at least 30 (all in ACC play). He hit timely threes, was lethal from the mid range, and occasionally brought the stadium to its feet with a thunderous dunk.
Robinson put on a show throughout the entire season, becoming the first Eagle average 20 or more points per game since Tyrese Rice in the 2007-2008 season. He improved immensely as a three point shooter - going from 33% as a sophomore to above 40% last year - increased his free throw percentage by more than ten percentage points to 83%, and became a true closer, hitting big late game shots in wins over Duke, Miami, and NC State among others. Robinson was a near unanimous selection to the ACC All Conference team and finished second in ACC Player of the year voting to Duke’s Marvin Bagely.
Robinson in all likelihood played himself into the first round of the NBA Draft with his 2017-18 campaign, as he is currently being selected as high as the late teens in mock drafts. His decision to leave early is a bitter pill to swallow for BC fans who have their eyes on next year’s NCAA Tournament, but it is also a testament to just how well he played as a junior. Eagle fans got their first taste of post season play since 2011 and there was finally a buzz surrounding the program that had been missing for too long.
Jerome was nothing short of an absolute joy to watch at BC, and we’re all a bit luckier as fans for having done so. We all wish him the best of luck at Thursday’s NBA Draft and in what will hopefully be a long and successful career.
To the highlights!