PALO ALTO, CALIF. — Timing has been a strong point for player Nick Robinson of the nation's No. 2-ranked Stanford Cardinal basketball team.
That was evident at crunch time in his team's battle to remain undefeated when it hosted powerful University of Arizona in early February. The game was tied, the final seconds were ticking away and Arizona was in control. The Wildcats had the ball with a chance for a game-winning shot or, at worst it seemed, overtime.
But Robinson, a returned missionary, timed his defense precisely to swat the ball away from an opponent, grab it after it caromed off a teammate and dribble over the mid-court line. As the game's final seconds melted away, he launched a 35-foot shot.
"That was really exciting," he said during a Church News telephone interview. "It was one of those moments you dream about in basketball. One of those dreams that ended up coming true."
He said he didn't doubt as he took the shot. "As soon as it left my hands it felt really good."
It was good; he and his teammates mobbed each other and were mobbed by fans in celebration of the 3-point victory. Stanford's record remained spotless and the No. 1 ranking followed a week later. The team finished the regular season with only one loss and remains among the top teams in the nation entering tournament time.
But Robinson took advantage of good timing even before "the shot." He decided to go on a mission right out of high school rather than to immediately begin playing for the Cardinal team. Otherwise, he would have missed being an instrumental player on this year's special team, one of the school's best ever.
While starring for Liberty High School in Liberty, Mo., he had already decided on two goals — to play college basketball and to serve a mission. But he was in a bit of a dilemma over whether to play a year in college before leaving on a mission.
He was recruited by several schools, but narrowed his choices to Stanford and the University of Utah. On his recruiting visit to Stanford he was impressed with the quality of the school and the beauty of its campus. He spent time with a returned missionary who was then playing for Stanford, Mark Madsen who currently plays for the NBA Minnesota Timberwolves. "He had a big influence answering questions about going on a mission," Robinson said.
He said there was another big factor in his choosing Stanford: "Coach (Mike) Montgomery was extremely supportive of me going on a mission before I went to school."
So before enrolling at Stanford, he set aside basketball for two years to serve in the Brazil Maceio Mission.
Upon his release, he enrolled at Stanford and redshirted a season. As a freshman, he got some playing time and earned the school's Howie Dallmar Coaches Award presented to the players who have displayed excellence on and off the court. He started several games as a sophomore. Now in his junior season, he is playing more than 20 minutes a game as a guard/forward.
And he's doing more than scoring and rebounding, according to one of his fans, Bishop Norris B. Finlayson of the Valparaiso Ward, Menlo Park California Stake.
"He's a real hustler and does a lot of little things that don't show up in the stats at the end of the game," Bishop Finlayson said.
Robinson stands out on the Stanford team because he is the oldest player and is married. Even as a freshman, he was tagged with the nickname "Pops" because he was 21 years old. The moniker has stuck with him.
He and his wife, Meagan, were married in the St. Louis Missouri Temple shortly after his mission. He met her when he was a young boy living in England where his father, T.J., was playing professional basketball. Robinson said Meagan's father, Mike Tate, baptized his father and was their bishop.
Robinson kept in touch with Meagan after his family moved away and went back to visit England and see her while he was in high school. When he got home from his mission, he again tracked down Meagan who was attending school in Utah.
Bishop Finlayson said the Robinsons are an asset in the ward. The basketball player is the teachers quorum adviser and "does a great job teaching our boys," the bishop said. Even with the demanding schedule of the basketball season, he rarely misses a Sunday with his quorum, Bishop Finlayson added. At the same time, Meagan is the ward Young Women president.
By the way, in the midst of the demands of the 2003-04 basketball season and its travel schedule, the timing was just right for the birth of the Robinsons' first child, Annie Lee, on Monday, March 1.
"She came at a perfect time so I was able to be here," Robinson said. "That was important to Meagan and to me."
On schedule to graduate next year with a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in sociology, Robinson hopes to continue to play basketball professionally. But for now, he is having a great time playing for a Stanford team that is among the favorites going into the NCAA tournament season.
