Oregon State Fans, Players Welcome New Head Coach

Robinson began his coaching career as an assistant coach at the Illinois Institute of Technology from 1988-90.

Craig Robinson, who led Brown University to a school record 19 victories this past season, has been selected as the 20th head coach to lead the Oregon State University men’s basketball program, Director of Athletics Bob De Carolis announced on Monday.

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Craig Robinson, who led Brown University to a school record 19 victories this past season, has been selected as the 20th head coach to lead the Oregon State University men’s basketball program, Director of Athletics Bob De Carolis announced on Monday.

In two years at Brown, Robinson led a turnaround for the Bears program, guiding the squad to a school-record 19 victories. The second-year Brown coach also led the Bears to their fourth ever post-season tournament berth, competing in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational. Robinson’s team posted an 11-3 Ivy League mark, second best in school history, and good for second place in the conference standings. Robinson won more games (30) in his first two years than any other head coach in Brown basketball history.

Robinson made an immediate impact on the Brown basketball team in his first year at the helm of the program as he was named the Ivy League Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year by BasketballU.com.

In his first season at Brown, Robinson guided the Bears to an improved 11-18 mark, 6-8 in the Ivy League, finishing fifth in the conference. He led the Bears to a stunning 51-41 victory over Providence College, limiting the Friars to 14 second-half points and 18-percent shooting from the floor in the second half (4-of-22). His Brown team also limited NCAA-bound Michigan State to 45 points, its lowest point total of the season.

Prior to Brown, Robinson worked at Northwestern, where he spent six seasons with the Wildcats under head coach Bill Carmody (former head coach at Princeton). Robinson’s relationship with Carmody dates to the 1982-83 season when as a senior captain, he led Princeton to the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, Carmody’s first year as an assistant coach with the Tigers.

At Northwestern, Robinson developed and implemented its local, national and international recruiting technology. He was an integral part of Northwestern’s dramatic turnaround, helping the Wildcats to the most wins in a four-year period in school history with 57 victories from the 2001-2002 to the 2004-2005 seasons. Robinson also helped Northwestern finish ninth in the nation in scoring defense (58.8 points per game) in 2005-2006.

A 1983 graduate of Princeton with an AB (Arts of a Bachelor degree) in Sociology, Robinson is considered one of the top players in Ivy League history. He ranks fourth on Princeton’s all-time scoring list with 1,441 points and led the Ivy League in field goal percentage in 1982 (.577) and 1983 (.642).

Robinson was also the league’s first two-time honoree as Ivy League Player of the Year, sharing the honor in 1982 before winning it outright in 1983. He played under legendary Princeton coach Pete Carrill, leading the Tigers to two NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship appearances during his tenure (1981 and 1983). His 16 rebounds in a NCAA tournament win over Oklahoma State in 1983 rank fifth in the Ivy League record book for NCAA games.

After graduating from Princeton with a degree in sociology, Robinson was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the fourth round of the 1983 NBA draft. He played two seasons with the Manchester (England) Giants of the European Basketball League. In addition, he served as the assistant to the general manager and public relations officer for Manchester.

Robinson began his coaching career as an assistant coach at the Illinois Institute of Technology from 1988-90. He was responsible for offense implementation, game strategy, recruiting and advance scouting. He was also the head coach at the University of Chicago High School in 1999-2000.

Robinson, who also has an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (1992), took a hiatus from coaching and went into private business in 1990. He was a Vice President for Continental Bank from 1990-92, Vice President for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter from 1992-99 and then Managing Director for Loop Capital Markets before he made his move to Northwestern.

Robinson succeeds Jay John, who went 72-97 in five-plus seasons with the Beavers. Entering its 108th season of basketball, Oregon State is the 13th winningest program all-time in NCAA Division I and has made 16 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship appearances. The program has produced 32 All-America and 75 all-conference selections. Five Oregon State players have been named Pac-10 Player of the Year while 42 players have been selected in the NBA Draft, including 12 first round selections.

Robinson and his wife Kelly have a 15-year-old son, Avery, and an 11-year-old daughter, Leslie.

COACH ROBINSON ON:

Coaching Philosophy

My coaching philosophy is to win championships, develop student-athletes for the next level both on and off the court and create and maintain a positive culture within my program. I will accomplish this using:

• local, national and international recruiting

• up-tempo, unselfish offensive scheme

• 100% student-athlete graduation

• disciplined, team-oriented defense

• fundamental basketball skills

My successful playing, coaching and professional experiences will play an integral and unique role in achieving these goals as a head coach.

Style of Play

I will coach to the strengths of the players I recruit. The foundation of my game plan will be an up-tempo, unselfish offense anchored by a disciplined, team-oriented defense. My staff and I will teach our players offensive and defensive fundamentals emphasizing an unselfish philosophy. This is extremely important today with respect to the lack of fundamentals taught to student-athletes before college, in addition to the influx of fundamentally sound international players.

Recruiting

I have recruited and will continue to recruit locally, nationally and internationally. Given my extensive relationships, I will recruit skillful, athletic and intelligent players whose goals are to win and learn. The players I recruit will be multi-dimensional and athletic. There will be a bias toward good shooters and defenders. Big men will be skillful runners who are comfortable on the perimeter. I have also spearheaded the development of an Internet-based recruiting tool that is currently being used by various Division I programs across the country.

This tool enables me and my staff to communicate on a regular, systematic basis with hundreds of recruits annually. My ability to recruit talented players is based on my tremendous communication skills bolstered by my skills in evaluating and developing talent. This enables me to target prospects earlier and provide them with an honest evaluation of where they fit in my plans. I believe that this up-front honesty is key to getting in early with recruits and their families.

My recruiting successes include: Michael Thompson, a former McDonald’s All-American and Duke transfer who chose Northwestern over Notre Dame, UCLA, Texas and Ohio State; T.J. Parker, who was recruited by Marquette and Georgia Tech; and Vedran Vukusic, who turned down a pro contract to play for Northwestern.

Academics

Academics will never be compromised. My goal is to have a 100% graduation rate. I will recruit student-athletes who have graduation at the top of their priority list. My philosophy will be supplemented with very disciplined requirements enforced by the coaching staff. The academic coaches will supervise mandatory study halls on and off the road. Tutors will be allowed to travel with the team. Players will understand that academics are equally as important as athletics.

Media & Public Relations

My experience has allowed me to interact with the media from the time I was a player until now. Comfort with all media outlets is important and developing two-way relationships with the media is critical. Winning programs need positive media attention. Facilitating those relationships are a priority for me and my staff .

Fundraising, Alumni Relations & Community Involvement

My ability to speak to broad audiences coupled with my philanthropic experiences make me an ideal candidate to be an ambassador for any institution. My academic and athletic successes make me an excellent role model on or off the court. I have been and will continue to be active in conducting speaking engagements, fundraisers, clinics and camps in whatever community I reside.

Source: OSU Athletics

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