Robinson '13 Competes in NCAA Finals
New England native, University of Michigan senior captain and PEA alumnus Duncan Robinson didn’t waste any time on the court in the second-half comeback against Loyola-Chicago on Saturday. Making a crunch time steal, the power forward drove up the court, hitting one of his team’s biggest 3 pointers in the game. Robinson led the men’s basketball team to its eighth Final Four appearance, and the team progressed to the Tournament’s Championship Game in early April. As a third-seeded team, Michigan was up against first seed powerhouse Villanova. After a tough battle, the Michigan Wolverines fell to the Villanova Wildcats 62-79.
Robinson grew up in New Castle, New Hampshire and attended Governor’s Academy in Massachusetts before coming to the Academy as a postgraduate. Exeter’s Robinson made a huge impact on campus and led the varsity team to its first New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class A championship title in 2013.
Boys’ varsity basketball coach Jay Tilton said, “Coming through this place years ago, he did such a great job for our program. He helped us get our first championship at this school.”
Lower Kerick Walker, varsity basketball player, looks up to Robinson as a mentor, even though he never played with Robinson at Exeter. Walker said, “Duncan and I text back and forth every once in a while, and because we play similarly to each other I look up to him as a role model. He was able to be successful at Exeter and go on to be successful afterwards.”
Family friend and lower Carly Kirsch remembered meeting Robinson when she was young. She said, “When I met Duncan I was a little 10 year old who was dragged to all of my brothers’ games. Even though I was just his teammate’s little sister he made sure to always say ‘hi’ to me. He even loaded the dishwasher when he was at my house.” She added that she and her family were proud of him, and said, “He deserves all the success he’s worked so hard for.”
Robinson’s postgraduate year at PEA helped him improve both athletically and academically. After taking the time to perfect his game and give an incredible showing throughout his final season at Exeter, he continued to pursue his dreams in college. He earned the 2013 NEPSAC Class A tournament MVP and was a NEPSAC All-League First Team selection in both 2012 (Class B) and 2013 (Class A).
He continued his basketball career and committed to Williams College, a Division III NESCAC school. The only freshman starter on Williams team, he improved his game throughout the season, securing countless accomplishments and forming a close relationship with the head coach Mike Maker. But when Maker left Williams to become the head coach for the Marist Red Foxes men’s basketball team, Robinson decided to pursue a Division I career at Michigan.
Robinson became the first Division III player to transfer to a Division I school on a full athletic scholarship. The decision to leave Williams, a top-ranking liberal arts college in Massachusetts, to the University of Michigan, a large public research university in Ann Arbor, came with some sacrifice. Robinson was “redshirted” when he first arrived at Michigan, meaning that throughout the 2014-15 season, he was able to practice with the team, but could not play in games. He worked with Coach Jon Sanderson to get into shape and strong enough to play against some of college basketball’s biggest stars.
Assistant Coach Jeff Meyer knew Robinson would be a star on the team when he surpassed Michigan legend Nik Stauskas’ practice three-pointer record by three points. By the end of his sophomore year, Robinson was ranked second out of the Big Ten players with a 45 percent three-point field goal percentage. Robinson and teammate Charles Matthews also became the first players to score 20 points in a game in over three years. Robinson suffered a small setback midseason when he was replaced in the starting lineup by Isaiah Rivers during the schools rival game versus Michigan State, but was quickly reinstated to the first string lineup within the month.
Robinson drove the team to victory in 2018 Big Ten Men’s Conference Championship. At the end of the season, he became an Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
The country’s eyes are focused on Robinson, waiting to see where he will go next in the sport. Robinson reported to the Williams Record that even though his career has skyrocketed, he still loves the game, no matter what level he is playing at.
“The truth is, all that stuff – like sold-out arenas and national media attention – is cool, but the game is still the same, and it means just as much,” he said. “I love my teammates the same. I love the game the same. One of the things I’m really taking away is that the basketball experience isn’t as drastically different as a lot of people think. On the day-to-day level, there [are] for sure differences, but the stuff that really matters is relationships and how much you care and what you put into the game.”