T.J. Robinson has quietly and humbly been climbing the Big West Conference all-time rebounding leaderboard over the last four years. On Saturday night, he was finally able to re-write the record books.
With 11 boards in a 89-69 road victory over UC Davis, the senior forward ran his total to 1,119 for his career, passing Cal State Fullerton’s Tony Neal (1,115 total from 1981 to 85) as the most productive rebounder in conference history.
“I work hard to rebound,” Robinson said. “That is my role on this team, to rebound and score. I do what I do what I do for the team. Hopefully that will get us over the hump and make it to the NCAA tournament.”
Robinson has used four years of dedication, along with the desire to consistently improve individually and as a teammate, to become the Big West’s most prolific rebounder.
On a team with so much talent and experience playing together, the spotlight does not fall upon any one player on a given night, and rarely shines on Robinson. The senior forward has improved each season, however, and continues put-up big numbers along the way.
Robinson added 14 points to pick up the 51st double-double of his illustrious career. He is the only active player in all of Division I basketball to amass 1,000 career points and rebounds.
Head coach Dan Monson said Robinson’s accomplishment is a “tremendous honor.”
“He has been unbelievably consistent over four years,” Monson said. “A bad rebound game for him is eight or nine, he just has a gift for it.”
Monson added: “What he has done is taken that gift and been consistent with it and I am really happy for him and proud. What it meant for the team is a lot of wins. When you have a guy that is willing to go to the boards like that, it has beneficial for us over the years.”
Robinson spoke of his decision to attend LBSU and the development the team has experienced.
“I came to Long Beach State because I wanted to help turn this program into a national scene,” he said. “We worked hard and put dedication into building this program and now we have the chemistry to do it as a senior group.”
A model of growth, Robinson began his career at LBSU by playing at a high level, averaging 11.4 points per game, good for 11th in the Big West and 6.2 rebounds, ranking seventh.
Robinson has improved his rebounding total each season, and is pulling down a conference-leading and career-best 10.3 boards so far this season.
As humble as he is talented, Robinson credits constant effort and team chemistry ahead of personal accomplishments. He said the ultimate task is to use the experience of the team to reach the goal of qualifying for the NCAA tournament.
The senior said the team has been able to stay tuned-in to the task at hand this season, with the goal of not being defeated in the Big West tournament championship for the third consecutive year.
“We just try to come together and compete night-in and night-out,” he said. “Every night we bring our all because we have a target on our back. Mostly it is experience and we can end games well.
Robinson’s advises young athletes who aspire to play at the collegiate level to never stop working on the craft.
“Hard work and dedication,” Robinson said are the keys to success at this level. “At the end of the day it comes down to focus. Put all the other crap aside, you’ve got to focus on basketball. Just be yourself and play ball.”
Robinson aspires to keep playing basketball after graduating from the school he helped put on the national landscape, but is focused on this season first and foremost.
“Hopefully I can play at the highest level, in the NBA or overseas. We’ll see what happens after the tournament and everything.”