BC’s Jerome Robinson drafted 13th overall by Clippers
"You try to stay blank until you officially hear your name, and then once I heard my name, just a rush of emotions."
NEW YORK — Boston College guard Jerome Robinson walked down a hallway in the bowels of the Barclays Center on Thursday night, his smile the only thing brighter than the crisp, blue Clippers hat he was wearing.
About 20 minutes earlier, Robinson had been selected by Los Angeles with the 13th overall pick of the NBA Draft, becoming BC’s highest draft pick since John Bagley was taken 12th in 1982. Now, he was entering a new, unknown world, but it did not take him long to find a suddenly familiar face.
Former Kentucky point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whom the Clippers had acquired from the Hornets after he was taken 11th overall, passed Robinson in the hallway. Both players beamed.
“Are you ready for this?’’ Gilgeous-Alexander asked, smiling.
“You know it,’’ Robinson said as he hugged his new teammate.
The two players said they did not know each other, but they insisted that would change quickly.
“We’ll be playing one-on-one pretty soon,’’ Robinson said.
In the arena’s green room for top prospects a few minutes earlier, Robinson’s parents and Boston College coach Jim Christian were beaming, too.
Christian took a picture of Robinson’s mother, Amy, standing in front of the large screen on the stage that showed her son’s name as the 13th pick, and then Robinson’s mother did the same for Christian.
“He put himself in position to be a lottery pick, and that says a lot about him and his character,’’ Christian said. “It’s just a great story of loyalty and how it’s rewarded. Everybody associated with Boston College should be proud of this young man. It’s just a credit to him. His development and how hard he’s worked, he deserves to be mentioned with the BC greats.’’
Robinson was a lightly-recruited high school prospect from Raleigh, N.C. As Christian tried to build up BC’s once-floundering program, he knew he had to take some chances. So he and his staff offered a scholarship to Robinson, whose other offers had come from schools like Florida International, Old Dominion and Youngstown State.
Robinson, who had been overlooked by basketball powers in his home state, was slowed by a broken wrist during his freshman year, but his scoring ability was apparent. He became a key leader for the Eagles as a sophomore, but Boston College went just 2-34 in Atlantic Coast Conference play in those two seasons.
Many wondered why Robinson, who had emerged as a powerful scorer, did not transfer. But he never really considered it. As a junior this past season he averaged 20.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while making 40.9 percent of his 3-pointers. He helped Boston College to a 19-16 season, its first winning record since 2010-11.
“He went through the process, and Boston College prepared him,’’ said Robinson’s father, Jerome Sr. “We never mentioned the 48 minutes, we always talked about the 23:12. That’s what prepares you for the 48 minutes. Basketball takes care of itself. And Boston College got maturity out of him, educated him, and he worked on his game, and here we are.’’
Robinson entered the draft without hiring an agent, and he was initially viewed as a likely second-round choice. But his stock appeared to skyrocket during the pre-draft process, and Robinson was one of 20 prospects to be invited by the NBA to the Barclays Center.
He sat at a table in the green room wearing a royal blue suit, joined by his family and Christian. He did not know that the Clippers were selecting him 13th until the television cameras began swarming to him moments before commissioner Adam Silver called his name.
“It was like, ‘All right, here it comes,’ ’’ Robinson said.
Before long, Clippers hats were being passed around the table and Robinson was crossing the stage.
“You try to stay blank until you officially hear your name, and then once I heard my name, just a rush of emotions,’’ Robinson said. “I’m so excited to have my family here and going through a dream I’ve been thinking about and wanting since I was a kid. It’s awesome.’’
Added Jerome Sr.: “I really wasn’t nervous. It was a great feeling, and a little sad at the same time, because it’s like, ‘Oh, my God. Now he’s a professional.’ ’’
Robinson said he hoped that becoming a lottery pick would offer one more boost to a seemingly rising Boston College program. He had seen the Eagles through one of their lowest points, and the only thing that made him hesitate about entering the draft this year was the fact that he had not reached an NCAA Tournament.
“I hope something like this is going to be awesome for the guys coming up,’’ Robinson said. “I think it just kind of drives them and motivates them that if you work for it, you can get there. Being a high pick coming from there is unbelievable.’’
Once a little-known BC recruit, Jerome Robinson’s draft stock is skyrocketing
[fragment number=0]
