James Robinson Jr. is only concerned about one thing when it comes to his son.
“You can print this—I’m most concerned about securing my son’s education for the next four years,” he said.
That’s why as more and more programs have displayed interest in James Robinson III (Hyattsville, Md./DeMatha), both father and son have kept things close to the vest. Although he is set to begin his junior year next fall, Robinson III has already been garnering attention from a number of Atlantic Coast Conference and Big East schools.
Notre Dame is one of the programs that are looking at the younger Robinson the hardest.
With the Irish having some strong DeMatha roots, the staff convinced the Robinson clan to take a closer look at the Irish campus last fall. It didn’t hurt that Notre Dame had just signed Jerian Grant, James III’s high school and AAU teammate with Team Takeover.
“James went on an unofficial to visit the school,” Robinson Jr. said. “He enjoyed the visit and met some really nice folks there. We traveled with Jerian Grant. He enjoyed the visit. It was more of an opportunity to see college life up close and personal at an institution like Notre Dame.”
Coach Mike Brey and Assistant Coach Rod Balanis are both DeMatha graduates and have recruited the Atlantic Coast in the past. Having this connection to Robinson’s school certainly helps for the Irish. However, Notre Dame will still have to continue to work at James III’s courtship.
“It’s nice to know that he came from DeMatha,” Robinson Jr. said of Brey. “Obviously we’re trying to get to know the coaches and their backgrounds as best we can. You have a running start when you have somebody who coached from DeMatha already, but that’s not the end-all, be-all to the situation. He seems to be a professional. He seems to be good with his kids—I watched him on the sidelines in a couple of games on television, so that’s a positive.”
According to his father, James III has been hearing from all of these big-time programs because of the passion that his son exhibits on the court.
“Work ethic,” Robinson Jr. said of his son’s top quality. “Work ethic and a passion that’s a fun place for him and an outlet.”
Although the younger Robinson has had a chance to see the Irish program and others up close, the junior isn’t done researching his school choices. As a result, a final decision isn’t imminent.
“We’re still waiting for information,” Robinson Jr. said. “We’ll let everyone know when that time comes.”
That’s why Robinson III has not yet crafted a list of favorites. However, the junior guard is internally working towards the creation of one in the summer months.
“Not yet,” Robinson Jr. said. “We’re in the process on that one.”
After all, the Robinson family isn’t looking too far ahead. First they want to get to the fall on a positive note.
“Well, we want to get through this summer,” Robinson Jr. said. “We want to get through the summer and finish out the AAU circuit and then we’ll sit down and lay down some of our next steps ourselves and then have James get ready for his junior year in school. Our next step is to continue to talk about things.”
When asked what he and his son were looking for in potential colleges, Robinson Jr. once again was careful with his words. Knowing that internet rumors are quick to spread and can have damaging effects on a young player’s recruitment, Robinson Jr. only has one thing on his mind.
“Well, to be honest with you, we’re kind of holding off on that for a little bit until we have had a chance to work that out internally,” he said. “I will say this—we’re looking for a program that’s going to offer some internship opportunities as well as a place where James can call home for years to come.”
