Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Traditions
 Success "Projects" at WakeBy Jay Reddick LaChina Robinson, the 6-foot-4 freshman center on the women's basketball team, freely admits that she was considered a project when she came to Wake Forest. She had four years of experience playing any form of basketball (organized or not) and didn't feel ready for the physical pounding the ACC would offer. "At first, coach (Charlene) Curtis was going to redshirt me, but I worked hard and this year's been very surprising. If you had asked me a year ago, I'd have said, �I'm hoping to redshirt.' I actually wanted to redshirt, because I thought I would sit the bench. But wow, I can't believe it." Robinson, a 6-foot-4 center, was one of two players to start the Deacs' first 20 games of the season, and she averaged 6.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in almost 19 minutes a game. She led the team in field-goal percentage and blocked shots. The story of how Robinson came to be a basketball player is an interesting one. Throughout junior high, she was one of those people that seemingly every school has, the tall person of whom everyone asks, "How's the weather up there?" and "Do you play basketball?" Robinson, who was 5-11 as a ninth-grader in Alexandria, Va., attended all of the basketball team's games, but she didn't even like the sport. She was a cheerleader. But, starting in that ninth grade year, with prodding from her friends and encouragement from her father, she went out for the freshman team. Which was, Robinson says, a disaster at first. "I was terrible," she says. "I was really bad. I got every call in the book that first year. I think I also made a basket for the opponents once or twice." But despite all the adversity, she discovered she enjoyed the game. "After my freshman year, I knew it was what I wanted to do," Robinson said. "I had an immediate love for the game. It was a challenge, and I love to be challenged." So Robinson, who was 6-2 by this point after a freshman growth spurt, played all she could. She moved up to junior varsity the next year at T.C. Williams High School, then played AAU ball for the Northern Virginia Vogues in the summers. By her junior year, she was a varsity athlete. Robinson says her height helped her quick development as much as anything. "It's harder for shorter players to show their potential," Robinson said. "The game doesn't come as easily because you have to know so much more. My height had a lot to do with me becoming better so quick." It was with the Vogues the summer before her junior year that she first got noticed outside her area. Coaches were impressed by her size and athleticism, and she began to get the requisite letters that start the recruiting process. Robinson took three official visits: to James Madison close to home, to Clemson and Wake Forest. And the situation in Winston-Salem stood out in her mind. "There were a lot of things, the small campus, the prestigious academics," Robinson said. "But overall, I think it's really unique to be a part of a program that's building. It's hard to go to a school like Clemson and find where you fit or where you are needed. Here, you can tell where the program has needs. It's a unique program. You find your place and can be a part of...you never know what. With the players we have, there's such potential for great things." One reason Curtis says she recruited Robinson was because of her intelligence. She was a four-year honor roll student in high school and brings those smarts with her to the court. "It's a real key for her that she pays attention to the little things," Curtis said. "The small things that help her get better matter to her." Curtis saw what Robinson could do in just the first week of practice. "A lot was shown to us in preseason workouts in terms of what she could do," Curtis said. "I've been surprised with how quickly she's learned since then as well." That potential was there from the start, but Robinson says her defense is the most improved part of her game since October. "My post defense has gotten a lot better over the season," Robinson said. "Over time, I've learned to move my feet in the post and not allow players to get position on me. And I've become a little less foul-prone, though that's still a problem." The biggest hurdle now, though, is physical. Robinson doesn't feel strong enough to compete with the top centers in the league, and she's been muscled around a little bit. "As a post player, I'm not as strong as I need to be. I'm learning that by playing against people like Michelle VanGorp from Duke, and Summer Erb (from N.C. State), where they're physically strong. Also, mentally preparing, getting in that winning mindset, is important. "You really have to be mentally and physically tough, and I learned that the first go-round in the league." Curtis says although Robinson still has a little ways to go, she's already progressed by leaps and bounds. "She's much stronger, and her conditioning level is much improved, from when she came to us in September," Curtis said. "She's becoming a force for us, and if she continues to stay focused and work on her game, she could be one of the great post players ever at Wake Forest, right up there with Jenny Mitchell and Tracy Connor." Robinson has similarly high hopes for the future, for both herself and her team. "I think we'll see an increase in confidence," Robinson said. "Not only are the freshmen coming in for new energy, but the older players are taking an interest in helping us get better. I see us doing great things in the future."
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