Kentucky basketball's Jaxson Robinson eager to show SEC what it missed in his final season

Kentucky basketball’s Jaxson Robinson eager to show SEC what it missed in his final season

Posted by Admin January 12, 2025 Basketball

LEXINGTON — Months before the 2024-25 college basketball season began, with Kentucky basketball in the middle of summer workouts, newcomer Jaxson Robinson was asked what he hoped to add to his game in his final go-round as a collegian.

His answer had nothing to do with a quality measured solely by numbers. Instead, as the only player on the roster who already had experience with first-year UK coach Mark Pope, Robinson said he wanted to be someone teammates could turn to whenever they needed advice.

“That’s the world I’ve been trying to step into since I stepped foot on campus … so just making sure I’m doing my job by bringing everybody along with me,” Robinson said, “and just letting everybody figure out the system.”

It’s a role that never would have materialized had Robinson made a different decision last year.

After his second season with Pope at BYU, Robinson went through the NBA draft process. But he decided to withdraw and follow Pope to Lexington.

“It was crazy. I’d worked out in Milwaukee the day of the deadline, and on my way to the airport, I was still trying to figure out what I was going to do before 12 o’clock hit,” said Robinson, alluding to the time he either had to remain in the draft or return to college.

As he prepared to hop on a flight back to his home state of Oklahoma, Robinson deliberated with his family. An hour before the plane took off, he made up his mind: Robinson put off the pros for one more year. He called his agent to inform them of the decision.

Then, Robinson phoned Pope with the news: The Wildcats added the Big 12’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year and BYU’s leading scorer from the 2023-24 campaign.

Through it all, Pope kept his distance, not wanting to push Robinson in one direction or the other.

“But he was also whispering behind my ear to come to Kentucky,” Robinson said. “I mean, he’s a great guy. I love coach Pope. We have a great relationship. So it was a good experience just being able to communicate with him. … Even after some of the (NBA) combine games, he gave me a little advice.”

Nearly halfway into Kentucky’s 2024-25 season, Robinson’s choice has benefited both parties. He’s established himself as a key cog in the team’s rotation, starting every game. And with fellow guard Kerr Kriisa still working his way back from a foot injury suffered in last month’s win over Gonzaga, Robinson has taken on more ownership in setting up the offense when called upon.

The progress he’s made brought a smile to Pope’s face.

Following the overtime victory against the Bulldogs, Pope recalled an interaction with the fifth-year senior — “I love this story so much,” Pope said, with Robinson (perhaps appropriately) sitting to his right during the postgame news conference — last season. During a game versus Oklahoma, Robinson had to play more point guard than usual.

“And so after one bad play, he was in transition defense — I guess this is the first half — running right by me on the bench,” Pope said, “and he turned and yelled, in transition, ‘I’m never playing point guard again!'”

Now, he could set a single-season personal best for assists.

And do so as UK is in the teeth of SEC play, a league Robinson knows all too well. Although he wouldn’t phrase it that way himself. Before joining BYU prior to the 2022-23 campaign, Robinson spent two years in the SEC, first at Texas A&M (2020-21) and then Arkansas (2021-22). Across those two seasons, he combined to appear in just 30 games, starting eight times — four each for the Aggies and Razorbacks.

“My first two years, I honestly don’t count,” Robinson said. “I didn’t play (much). I mean, I learned a lot of different information from a lot of good guys, good vets, but I didn’t play a lot of minutes. So (I’m) just coming back (into the SEC) with a chip on my shoulder.”

Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams, who will lead his team into Rupp Arena on Tuesday, said he enjoyed his one season tutoring Robinson. Even if it didn’t go according to plan.

“Graduated a year early so that he could come to Texas A&M and redshirt,” Williams said in October during the SEC Tipoff event. “Mom, Dad, Jax — everybody was on board with that.

“And then by the time he gets to campus, it’s the pandemic. And then, eventually, the NCAA says that the year doesn’t count.”

Robinson has been anticipating the matchup for quite some time.

“What I learned (at Texas A&M)? I learned a lot. I was young. I was 17 when I got into college,” he said Oct. 15. “There are a lot of lessons that I learned.

“But I’m just excited to go out and play them. Yeah, I’m looking forward to that game.”

It was a far more animated answer than he gave about Arkansas and its since-departed coach, Eric Musselman, who now is leading Southern Cal’s program.

“I don’t really have anything to say about coach Muss, to be honest,” said Robinson, reflecting on what he took away from his season with the Razorbacks.

Regardless of the opponent, Robinson’s mindset never changes.

“It’s all the same to me, especially at this point in my college career: I’m just ready to hoop,” he said. “Doesn’t matter what team you throw out in front of me, I’m ready to go out and kill.”

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.