University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Rebecca Lawson
GoHeels Exclusive: Part Of History
December 31, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
On Sept. 28, 2015, the day Brandon Robinson committed to North Carolina, his father, Frank, broke out a few of his most prized possessions.
In 24 years of coaching high school basketball in Georgia, Frank attended multiple Nike clinics, through which he met Dean Smith and Roy Williams. A diehard UNC fan, Frank held both in high regard. So, given the chance, he took pictures with both of them.
Robinson said Frank showed him those photos on his commitment day. And on Monday night, a little more than four years later, Robinson held another picture of Smith and Williams, a gift he, Garrison Brooks and Smith's son Scott presented to Williams after the Tar Heels beat Yale to give Williams his 879th win, tying Smith for the fourth most in Division I history.
As grateful as Robinson said he was to be involved in such a significant moment in Carolina history, he recognized it carried just as much significance for Frank.
"I know it means a lot to him for me to be here, with him growing up a Carolina fan and him knowing way more about this program than I do," said Robinson after the 70-67 win. "So, I know me being a part of history is going to mean a lot to him."
Especially since Robinson played such a major role in making it happen.
Of Williams' 879 wins, Robinson, UNC's lone four-year, scholarship senior this season, has been a part of 96. But never has he made as much of an impact on one as he did Monday, when he scored a career-high 20 points and knocked down a career-high five 3-pointers.
Most importantly, Robinson was at his best when the Tar Heels needed him most, scoring 14 points and making four 3-pointers in the second half. Ultimately, that helped ensure Williams tied Smith on the all-time wins list, a milestone Robinson and his teammates didn't know their head coach was approaching until a few hours before the game, but inspired them nonetheless.
"We were in the locker room watching ESPN and we saw it come across the ticker," Robinson said, "and we just said, 'Let's go out and win it for Coach today.' We were locked in all day trying to get this win for Coach."
At times, though, it appeared as if Williams' historic achievement would have to wait.
Although Yale occasionally struggled offensively, it certainly wasn't alone. The Bulldogs – who entered Monday ranked 43rd nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency and seventh in opponent effective field goal percentage, according to KenPom – made life difficult for Carolina from the start, forcing it to miss its first seven field-goal attempts. Overall, UNC shot just 33.3 percent in the first half. Still, it managed to enter the break with a 32-28 lead.
The Tar Heels, however, couldn't maintain that lead, as Yale opened the second half on a 7-0 run. At that point, Carolina could've easily fallen apart, just as it had in the wake of second-half runs by Wofford and Gonzaga in losses earlier this month. Instead, UNC responded with a run of its own, during which Robinson started heating up.
With the scored tied at 37 and the shot clock winding down, Robinson drilled a stepback jumper from just inside the arc. On the Tar Heels' next possession, he received a touch pass from Justin Pierce and connected on an open 3-pointer in front of the home bench.
Those makes gave the Tar Heels a lead they wouldn't relinquish. They might not have even been Robinson's most important shots, though.
After Yale answered a 15-2 run with six straight points, cutting Carolina's lead to single digits for the first time in five minutes, Robinson made a corner 3-pointer. Then, with 2:09 left and the shot clock winding down once again, he pulled up and made one last shot from behind the arc, putting UNC up eight. He did so without any hesitation, which hadn't been the case earlier in the game.
"I credit my teammates, honestly," Robinson said. "I wasn't shooting the ball good early, and they were just staying in my ear like, 'B Rob, just keep shooting, bro. We need you to shoot.' Credit to them. They always have confidence in me."
Of the voices he heard Monday, Robinson said Brooks' was one of the loudest. At one point, Robinson recalled the junior forward yelling at him all the way down the court after he turned down a shot. Brooks confirmed the incident, saying, "I was trying to get him going."
But he didn't take any credit for Robinson's career night.
"B Rob was himself," said Brooks, who recorded his third career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. "That's it. There's nothing he did extra, no special kind of water he had. He was just being himself, and I'm proud of him. He was the leader we needed."
And that's who the Tar Heels need him to be moving forward.
Since returning from a right ankle injury that sidelined him for Carolina's first four games, Robinson had averaged 9.1 points on 35.9 percent shooting before Monday. He'd especially struggled on 3-pointers, shooting 29.5 percent, a far cry from the 46 percent he shot on 50 attempts last season.
With Cole Anthony still out indefinitely due to a right knee injury and Anthony Harris sustaining an injury Monday, UNC needs Robinson to be the scorer – and shooter – he showed glimpses of becoming as a junior. Perhaps he took a step toward that against Yale.
"B Rob missed some time from practice and hadn't shot it super himself," Williams said. "We've got more guys shooting under 30 (percent) on our team than I've ever even known, much less had on one team. But he stepped up tonight and made some big baskets for us.
"B Rob's toughness making those shots will hopefully give everybody else some encouragement and some confidence, too."
Robinson's outburst was one of only a few topics unrelated to Williams tying Smith's win total that Williams discussed during a postgame press conference in which he downplayed his latest accomplishment and even begged reporters to ask him questions about the game.
But although Williams shied away from talking about entering the same rarefied air as his friend and mentor, Robinson didn't.
"I know it means a lot to Coach because Coach Smith is his mentor," Robinson said. "It's crazy that happened tonight and I'm a part of it and I'm a part of history forever. I love Coach, and I'm happy he gave me an opportunity to come here and be a part of things like this."
But perhaps not as happy as his father.
On Sept. 28, 2015, the day Brandon Robinson committed to North Carolina, his father, Frank, broke out a few of his most prized possessions.
In 24 years of coaching high school basketball in Georgia, Frank attended multiple Nike clinics, through which he met Dean Smith and Roy Williams. A diehard UNC fan, Frank held both in high regard. So, given the chance, he took pictures with both of them.
Robinson said Frank showed him those photos on his commitment day. And on Monday night, a little more than four years later, Robinson held another picture of Smith and Williams, a gift he, Garrison Brooks and Smith's son Scott presented to Williams after the Tar Heels beat Yale to give Williams his 879th win, tying Smith for the fourth most in Division I history.
As grateful as Robinson said he was to be involved in such a significant moment in Carolina history, he recognized it carried just as much significance for Frank.
"I know it means a lot to him for me to be here, with him growing up a Carolina fan and him knowing way more about this program than I do," said Robinson after the 70-67 win. "So, I know me being a part of history is going to mean a lot to him."
Especially since Robinson played such a major role in making it happen.
Of Williams' 879 wins, Robinson, UNC's lone four-year, scholarship senior this season, has been a part of 96. But never has he made as much of an impact on one as he did Monday, when he scored a career-high 20 points and knocked down a career-high five 3-pointers.
Most importantly, Robinson was at his best when the Tar Heels needed him most, scoring 14 points and making four 3-pointers in the second half. Ultimately, that helped ensure Williams tied Smith on the all-time wins list, a milestone Robinson and his teammates didn't know their head coach was approaching until a few hours before the game, but inspired them nonetheless.
"We were in the locker room watching ESPN and we saw it come across the ticker," Robinson said, "and we just said, 'Let's go out and win it for Coach today.' We were locked in all day trying to get this win for Coach."
At times, though, it appeared as if Williams' historic achievement would have to wait.
Although Yale occasionally struggled offensively, it certainly wasn't alone. The Bulldogs – who entered Monday ranked 43rd nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency and seventh in opponent effective field goal percentage, according to KenPom – made life difficult for Carolina from the start, forcing it to miss its first seven field-goal attempts. Overall, UNC shot just 33.3 percent in the first half. Still, it managed to enter the break with a 32-28 lead.
The Tar Heels, however, couldn't maintain that lead, as Yale opened the second half on a 7-0 run. At that point, Carolina could've easily fallen apart, just as it had in the wake of second-half runs by Wofford and Gonzaga in losses earlier this month. Instead, UNC responded with a run of its own, during which Robinson started heating up.
With the scored tied at 37 and the shot clock winding down, Robinson drilled a stepback jumper from just inside the arc. On the Tar Heels' next possession, he received a touch pass from Justin Pierce and connected on an open 3-pointer in front of the home bench.
Those makes gave the Tar Heels a lead they wouldn't relinquish. They might not have even been Robinson's most important shots, though.
After Yale answered a 15-2 run with six straight points, cutting Carolina's lead to single digits for the first time in five minutes, Robinson made a corner 3-pointer. Then, with 2:09 left and the shot clock winding down once again, he pulled up and made one last shot from behind the arc, putting UNC up eight. He did so without any hesitation, which hadn't been the case earlier in the game.
"I credit my teammates, honestly," Robinson said. "I wasn't shooting the ball good early, and they were just staying in my ear like, 'B Rob, just keep shooting, bro. We need you to shoot.' Credit to them. They always have confidence in me."
Of the voices he heard Monday, Robinson said Brooks' was one of the loudest. At one point, Robinson recalled the junior forward yelling at him all the way down the court after he turned down a shot. Brooks confirmed the incident, saying, "I was trying to get him going."
But he didn't take any credit for Robinson's career night.
"B Rob was himself," said Brooks, who recorded his third career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. "That's it. There's nothing he did extra, no special kind of water he had. He was just being himself, and I'm proud of him. He was the leader we needed."
And that's who the Tar Heels need him to be moving forward.
Since returning from a right ankle injury that sidelined him for Carolina's first four games, Robinson had averaged 9.1 points on 35.9 percent shooting before Monday. He'd especially struggled on 3-pointers, shooting 29.5 percent, a far cry from the 46 percent he shot on 50 attempts last season.
With Cole Anthony still out indefinitely due to a right knee injury and Anthony Harris sustaining an injury Monday, UNC needs Robinson to be the scorer – and shooter – he showed glimpses of becoming as a junior. Perhaps he took a step toward that against Yale.
"B Rob missed some time from practice and hadn't shot it super himself," Williams said. "We've got more guys shooting under 30 (percent) on our team than I've ever even known, much less had on one team. But he stepped up tonight and made some big baskets for us.
"B Rob's toughness making those shots will hopefully give everybody else some encouragement and some confidence, too."
Robinson's outburst was one of only a few topics unrelated to Williams tying Smith's win total that Williams discussed during a postgame press conference in which he downplayed his latest accomplishment and even begged reporters to ask him questions about the game.
But although Williams shied away from talking about entering the same rarefied air as his friend and mentor, Robinson didn't.
"I know it means a lot to Coach because Coach Smith is his mentor," Robinson said. "It's crazy that happened tonight and I'm a part of it and I'm a part of history forever. I love Coach, and I'm happy he gave me an opportunity to come here and be a part of things like this."
But perhaps not as happy as his father.
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