Stanley Robinson, We Need You!

Stanley Robinson is the most talented player on the UConn Huskies basketball team.

Problem is, he doesn't yet seem to believe it. Coach Calhoun and the rest of the coaching staff keep trying to convince him of this fact, but it hasn't stuck.

Time is running out. There are only three regular season games left for Stanley to realize exactly how good he is.

Calhoun has actually had this problem a few times before.

He had to plead with Ben Gordon for two years to shoot the ball (sounds funny now, doesn't it). Donyell Marshall looked almost afraid to touch the ball as a freshman, but his junior season was one of the best ever by a Huskies player.

The difference here is that Stanley is a senior. This is it for him. He will be a first round pick in the upcoming NBA draft on the basis of his athleticism alone, but why not really show them what you can do?

A lot of things are starting to go right for the Huskies. Jerome Dyson has embraced his role as the “super-stopper,” perfectly willing to sacrifice his game to shut down the opponent's best perimeter player. Kemba Walker seems to have figured out how a true point guard runs a team. Communication on defense has increased, and the effort on the boards is now where it needs to be.

Imagine if Stanley could figure out how to take over offensively...UConn would be near unstoppable.

Stanley Robinson's last six games ...

Vs. DePaul: 10 points, seven rebounds
Vs. Syracuse: 16 points, seven rebounds
Vs. Cincinnati: 10 points, nine rebounds
Vs. Villanova: 10 points, seven rebounds
Vs. Rutgers: 11 points, six rebounds
Vs. West Virginia: 15 points, 13 rebounds

Stanley's rebounding effort against West Virginia was critical. He also hit two big three pointers, but with WVU switching on every screen, there were at least a half dozen mismatches where the Huskies failed to get the ball to Robinson. Some of those missed opportunities were because the angle wasn't right for the entry pass, but Stanley just wasn't ready to receive the pass on at least three occasions.

Ironically, Robinson was playing his best basketball before conference play began. Not only was he hitting from long range consistently, he was also displaying a deadly mid-range shot off the glass.

It was positively Duncan-ish!

It seems that the kid has forgotten that he is 6'9” and can rise up for a mid-range jumper over virtually any defender.

Since January, Robinson's offensive game has been strictly long-range shots and receiving alley-oops. Somebody needs to get in his head and maybe show him the film of all those bank-shots he was nailing.

Robinson should be getting at least 20 points a game...every game.

He is too talented. He has too many weapons. If Stanley is somehow able to reinsert himself into the offense, and Jerome and Kemba maintain their terrific level of play, there would be few teams in college basketball that could stop the Huskies.