Has he played a season there yet? Will they release him from is LOI because of this? Is Stansbury still there?

If there is a falling out between Robinson/Williams and Stansbury, I doubt he will be released and likely would transfer and sit out a year. Hard to say without more details.

More to this, unrelated to Robinson. WKU will not be releasing him and he will be traveling and playing abroad this summer with the WKU team.

Mikesyracuse1

I think a transfer by the end of the first semester let's him play anywhere else during conference play in spring 2019. It comes down to whether to use a clothespin during the first year and stick it out or pay the transfer year. I believe he would be eligible to go into the draft after he is out of high school for a year. If eligible in the fall to attend at WKU and matriculates, that meets that requirement.

He's a one year player. He won't be playing at another university. His other option would be to sit out a year and enter the draft.

Mikesyracuse1

That was what thought, too.

mikesyracuse1 said:

---

He's a one year player. He won't be playing at another university. His other option would be to sit out a year and enter the draft.

Mikesyracuse1

---

Yeah, the kid is going to declare for the 2018 NBA draft. There is no scenario where he is transferring to any other university. He is either going to play for WKU next season and then enter the draft or sit out next college basketball season and then enter the draft.

Presumably he will be playing for WKU next season as planned. Doesn't seem like any indication to the contrary in that regard.

Robinson is on campus as of Monday and Stansbury has filled the two open assistant coaching positions today.

mikesyracuse1

mikesyracuse1 said:

---

Robinson is on campus as of Monday and Stansbury has filled the two open assistant coaching positions today.

mikesyracuse1

---

From some of those initial Jeff Goodman tweets a few days back, it looked like Stansbury had maybe had to do a little bit of re-recruiting of Robinson. WKU definitely a team I'll be interested in keeping tabs on next season, with that recruiting class that Stansbury pulled in.

but then:

http://www.kentucky.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/sidelines-with-john-clay/article160475769.html

He gone

Quote:

---

Here's some eye-opening news: five-star center Mitchell Robinson has left Western Kentucky. Mitchell, a consensus top 10 recruit, was primed to be a game changer for Rick Stansbury at Western, but this morning, the school's student paper tweeted out that he has left campus:

Whoa. Earlier this month, former UNC star Shammond Williams, who is Robinson's godfather, resigned from Western's staff. Since then, rumors spread that Robinson was rethinking his commitment to Western, but he arrived on campus and enrolled in classes. Now, it appears he's had a change of heart.

---

Quote:

---

He left as soon as yesterday, a source told the Herald.

---

No copy editors on twitter I guess.

Looks like Robinson has officially left campus

Quite a soap opera they got going on there.

I doubt WKU releases him from his LOI, so I still think Robinson puts in one year at WKU and then goes pro. The alternatives aren't that appealing.

mdanyc03 said:

---

Playing professionally in Europe or Australia then being a first round pick isn't a bad option.

---

This is a lot more difficult than people really think for some players though. Like a lot of 18-19 year olds, many of these guys have never been away from home for very long without friends and family with them. The idea of living overseas for a year might not be particularly enticing.

LawHall88 said:

---

Quite a soap opera they got going on there.

I doubt WKU releases him from his LOI, so I still think Robinson puts in one year at WKU and then goes pro. The alternatives aren't that appealing.

---

If this latest report is true, I would be skeptical that Robinson plays at WKU or (even if he comes back) there won't be continued significant drama and distractions. Sounds like either he and/or handlers/advisors/family/etc. are not happy with the situation.

Soccer and baseball players usually know that's the deal growing up though. And in some ways there's a difference between being sent to the United States to play baseball and leaving the United States to go play basketball somewhere else.

It's definitely not a big deal for all players, but it is for some.

http://scout.com/college/basketball/recruiting/Article/Sources-Five-star-center-Mitchell-Robinson-cleans-out-dorm-leave-105571391

Quote:

---

Robinson was on campus for summer school and participated in practice this week in preparation for the Hilltoppers foreign tour to Costa Rica.

Robinson, WKU's highest rated recruit in school history, cleaned out his dorm and was picked up from campus after midnight on Thursday, according to a source.

---

bobinator said:

---

mdanyc03 said:

---

Playing professionally in Europe or Australia then being a first round pick isn't a bad option.

---

This is a lot more difficult than people really think for some players though. Like a lot of 18-19 year olds, many of these guys have never been away from home for very long without friends and family with them. The idea of living overseas for a year might not be particularly enticing.

---

It is not just that. Trying to immediately step from high school/AAU into a pro league versus grown men is typically a very rude awakening. He will run into somebody like a 32 year old 270 lb Joseph Jones who will knock him into the bleachers as a way of saying 'Hello Mr. 2018 projected NBA draft pick'.

5-star wing Terrance Ferguson tried that overseas thing last year right out of high school and really struggled over there.

mdanyc03 said:

---

And ferguson went in the first round and said playing overseas was the best decision he has made.

---

Ferguson himself said that it wasn't for everybody. Talked about how he was deliberately targeted by the older pro players as a 'weak link' and if you are not super mentally tough and very mature, then the pressure and experience can break you.

Also the pros in general is totally different in terms of the hand holding going on. Listened to a podcast recently with Luke Walton (Laker's head coach) talking about how different things off the court are for a college player versus NBA. He used road trips as an example. Said on college team road trips, every minute for the players is meticulously scheduled and planned out. Arrive at hotel, team meeting, practice, dinner, curfew, then meet again next morning, etc.

Said his first road trip in the NBA, their bus got to the hotel at like 2:00 pm in in the afternoon, and one of the assistant coaches said 'Ok guys, see ya'll at shoot around 11:00 am tomorrow'. And that was that.

To jump direct from high school life to an overseas foreign league just seems like really tough thing to do. Sure, some kids (and the people around them) are better equipped than others to handle that. But seems really tough.

mikesyracuse1 said:

---

His handlers are so lost it is really sad.

Mikesyracuse1

---

So per the reports, they had a scheduled practice on Thursday and Robinson did not show up. So the coaching staff went to his dorm room to check on him and it was cleaned out. And they have been unable to reach him or his mother since.

Flakey stepping on sea urchin level stuff.

Pumpkinhead said:

---

---

Rick ain't screwing around...

mdanyc03 said:

---

Maybe, but I guess doesn't seem like a biggie to me. Every year thousands of aspiring professional soccer players go overseas at age 18 to and from destinations all over the world. Hundreds of aspiring professional baseball players too.

If you think you are ready to sign a multi million dollar contract in a few months, doesn't seem like a big deal to give mommy a kiss and get on an airplane.

---

Don't forget about all the Mormons!

I mean yeah. I'm a Mormon. Graduated from high school, five months later flew to Honduras, took a five hour bus ride up into the mountains and spent the next two years living there as a missionary.

So yes, that shapes my perception of how difficult it would be to be a professional basketball player as a 19 year old in Australia. But to each his own.

The WKU message board also seems to be waiting right now to see whether Josh Anderson will academically qualify. Anderson is the other highly regarded 2017 HS recruit that Stansbury landed in that top-10 rated WKU class along with Robinson.

http://scout.com/college/western-kentucky/Board/104580/Contents/Josh-Anderson-News-105611282