The future is looking bright for the Vikings men’s basketball team. Announced this month by head coach Tyler Geving, the team signed junior transfer Calaen Robinson from Arizona State University. Though he will have to redshirt during this upcoming season, there is no doubt that he will have a major impact on the team’s performance during the 2015–16 season.
The 6-foot-2-inch, 190-pound point guard didn’t see much playing time as a reserve for the Sun Devils. Backing up starting point guard Jahii Carson last season, GoViks.com wrote, “Robinson played for the Sun Devils, competing in 20 games, averaging 1.6 points and 1.1 assists in 6.2 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 11 points with four assists against Miami of Ohio, and had seven points and five assists against Grambling State.”
Though these numbers aren’t anything to get excited about, there’s a lot of hidden potential here.
During his senior year in high school playing for the Corona Del Sol Aztecs, Robinson led his team to a 32–1 record and a Division 1 high school state championship while averaging 18.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assits and 2.4 steals per game. ESPN ranked Robinson as the 19th best point guard in the country coming out of high school.
If Geving can get Robinson to produce for the Vikings like he did in high school, then there’s no doubt that he’ll be a great addition to Vikings basketball.
Even though the Vikings will have to wait until the 2015–16 season to see if this move pays off, it should prove to be well worth it. After next season, star guards Gary Winston and DaShaun Wiggins will be graduating. This will be a perfect time to bring in a hungry and talented player such as Robinson.
With the signing of Robinson, as well as forwards Collin Spickerman and Braxton Tucker, Geving and the Vikings are building on the momentum from the end of last season, putting together a roster that should be able to excel for the foreseeable future. Sustainability is one of the things that PSU is known for. It’s great to see a plan came together for sustainable success at the Stott Center.
