Does Robinson's life get less hectic soon?
Posted: Thursday, January 15, 2009 6:09 PM
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Pac-10
Determining how many people will attend Barack Obama’s inauguration is an inexact science. A million? Two million? About the only certainties are that it’ll be a star-studded event.
Oh, and at least one Beaver will be there. Guess that means Craig Robinson will skip Tuesday’s Pac-10 coaches’ conference call.
Robinson’s first few months as coach have been a nice surprise for Oregon State hoops. After a winless 2007-08 conference campaign, the Beavers needed just two games to claim a W this season. Yes, they’re nowhere near an NCAA tournament-caliber team, but Robinson’s already done a great job without much to use.
They play host to Washington State and Washington this week, will likely practice on Sunday, then Robinson turns into a jet-setter.
He’s gotta get to D.C. in time for the ball. Also, his sister would ring his neck if he didn’t get out there.
If you haven’t read much about Robinson and his hoops background, check out this excellent story from the Seattle Times’ Bud Withers. It covers his time as a player, an assistant and how he went from the coach at Brown and made it across the country to Corvallis.
I’ll be interested to see if Robinson’s life calms down a little bit after Tuesday’s inauguration. His press conferences right now sound a little bit like the week before the Super Bowl when media from all over the world descend sports figures and ask all sorts of random questions. Instead of basketball topics, everything’s about the inauguration. It must get old for Robinson and for the beat reporters.
After Tuesday, will less focus on his brother-in-law mean more time for his hoops program? Couldn’t hurt.
UPDATE: Timing is everything. Posted this on Thursday, then promptly had two magazines arrive in the mail that prominently featured Robinson, Oregon State and more on Obama. I highly recommend both.
The first, "The Audacity of Hoops," Sports Illustrated's Alexander Wolff, is a engaging look at basketball and how it's helped shape the country's new president. Basketball's been important in Obama's life. A look at his cabinet and political advisors reveal people who also place a great deal of important on basketball.
Reggie Love, Obama's personal aide who played college ball at Duke, gets most of the attention when it comes to talking about the first hoopster, but I had no idea the sheer number of dedicated ballers close to him. Fun stuff, but I'd expect nothing less from a guy who played pick-up ball with UNC last spring.
Anyway, Robinson is quoted throughout in the story, but the second item focuses far more on the Oregon State coach. It's also a more fun read.
Esquire's Chuck Klosterman -- a hoops fan of the first degree and one of my personal faves -- watched a Beavers practice in the fall, then spent some time with Robinson afterward. The result is a funny, insightful look at Robinson's persona, his views on Obama and what's in store for the Oregon State program. Read it right now. (And if you haven't already, go grab any one of Klosterman's books. You won't regret it.)
