David Flores: Robinson remains ardent college basketball fan

[greens]

David Flores: Robinson remains ardent college basketball fan
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/c...N.372aa47.html

Web Posted: 03/25/2008 10:27 PM CDT

San Antonio Express-News

Like millions across the country, former Spurs center David Robinson has spent the past week indulging in March Madness.

Robinson never will be mistaken for a couch potato — he looks like he still could play — but he spent a good part of the Easter weekend watching the NCAA men's basketball tournament on television.

Although Robinson experienced the thrill of winning two NBA championships and two Olympic gold medals, there's something about the college game that continues to stir a special feeling inside him around this time each year.

"Oh, yeah," Robinson said Tuesday. "I love the first weekend of the tournament because you never know what might happen. It's exciting. There's just so much balance nowadays. It's great to see a school like Davidson make it to the Sweet 16."

Robinson, of course, experienced the excitement of the NCAA tournament personally. A two-time All-American at the U.S. Naval Academy, he played on teams that earned bids to the Big Dance in 1985, 1986 and 1987.

"I guess I like watching the first round because that's as far as we usually got," Robinson said, chuckling.

The Admiral, as he will forever be known in San Antonio, was just being modest. In this day of look-at-me, chest-pumping athletes, his humility always stood as a reminder that there's still a place for dignity in sports.

Robinson always will be synonymous with grace and class, as the nation learned when he carried Navy to the NCAA tournament.

The Midshipmen lost to Maryland in the second round his sop re season but advanced to the Elite Eight the following year, when they lost to Duke in the East Regional final.

"It was a great time," said Robinson, 42.

Michigan beat Navy in the first round in 1987, but Robinson capped his stellar college career by earning the Wooden and Naismith awards as the country's player of the year.

Robinson talked about college basketball and the Spurs after participating in an event at the Carver Academy, the school he founded, to help promote this year's Final Four in San Antonio.

Ever the exemplary mentor, Robinson briefly spoke to 120 Carver students, including his youngest son, Justin, a fifth-grader at the East Side school, before they dribbled basketballs around the courtyard twice.

Robinson led the students, smiling and talking to them as he dribbled.

The "basketball parade" was a preview of the NCAA Dome Dribble to Hoop City, scheduled April 6 at the Alamodome.

"I think it's great that we're having the Final Four in San Antonio again," Robinson said. "Kids can see all this and have aspirations. Very few will ever get to the NBA, but they can dream of going to college and maybe playing college basketball."

While Robinson wouldn't predict which teams will advance to the Final Four, he gave North Carolina rave reviews.

"From what I've seen, North Carolina is head and shoulders above everybody else," he said.

Turning his focus to the Spurs, Robinson expressed cautious optimism about their chances of repeating as NBA champions.

"I don't think you can count them out because of their experience, and I believe they've got as good a chance as anybody to win it all," Robinson said. "But I'd like to see them commit to defense a little more. At times, teams score on them a little too easily, and their transition defense isn't always what it should be."

Robinson said Tim Duncan is such a great player that most fans take him for granted.

"You never appreciate what you have," Robinson said. "I think Tim is the best power forward to ever play the game. He's underappreciated, but that's OK because he'll just keep winning championships."

Robinson smiled immediately when he was asked his thoughts on Manu Ginobili.

"He's so good, he's ridiculous," he said, smiling. "You never know what to expect from him. From the first day he got here, he was my favorite player to watch."

When he isn't watching college basketball or Spurs games, Robinson stays busy trying to keep up with his three sons.

"I don't play golf much at all now," he said. "I'm a father and the chauffeur for my three boys."

Then he smiled again.

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[timvp]

On defense, the troubles have been discussed ad nausium. They're older, and the decision to rely on corporate knowledge rather than some new young legs has hurt them there. In the playoffs, I actually anticipate that they'll do a bit better, if only for the fact that everyone tightens up in shooting.

Offense is a bigger concern. The Spurs are more reliant on the 3-pointer and jump shots than any time in their history. And correspondingly doing less in the paint than at any time in the TD era

Offensively, I never really worry about this team. The Big Three are just too good for the Spurs to lose because of their offense. Yeah, maybe back when it was Duncan, an injured DRob and ten role players then offense could be a problem. But with Duncan still looking like the best bigman in the game, Ginobili playing out of his mind, Parker still young enough to improve and the clutch shooters on the team, I completely trust that the offense will be there when it counts.

Defense is what I'm most worried about.

"I don't think you can count them out because of their experience, and I believe they've got as good a chance as anybody to win it all," Robinson said. "But I'd like to see them commit to defense a little more. At times, teams score on them a little too easily, and their transition defense isn't always what it should be."

Scoreboard.

[whottt]

Robinson was the reason Navy didn't win a national le[/NewschoolSpurfan]

[greens]

True, defense is what defines the Spurs...It's their signature.

[urunobili]

thoughts on Manu Ginobili:

"He's so good, he's ridiculous," he said, smiling. "You never know what to expect from him. From the first day he got here, he was my favorite player to watch."

[samikeyp]

Hmm....I wonder how Dave's back is feeling. That uniform still looked pretty good All-Star Weekend.



Yeah I know, but damn, if he could still play?

[Ballcox]

I'll go ahead and say it out loud, I still have a man-crush on DR. He was the reason I started following and watching the Spurs.

Bring on comments about the man-crush!

[polandprzem]

@ whott & timvp

[Mark in Austin]

Why didn't Flores ask Big Dave for his thoughts on V-Span? Yet another example of Spanoulis not getting a fair shake. [/take a wild guess]

[Walton Buys Off Me]

I still remember The Big Man in the twilight of his career in 2003 guarding Amare Stoudemire in the first round of the playoffs. Stoudemire was a classless prick then thinking he was going to use that series to "arrive". The Big Man had other intentions and quickly let it be known to Amare who proceded to do his best impersonation of a scared schoolgirl in front of a principal. The Big Man flexed the double-biceps and belittled him in front of the World.

Always has been and always will be my favorite athlete.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Didn't DRob blow up for 50 pts or something outrageous against Syracuse in the NCAA's?


I'm drawing on my memory of it so that might be wrong seeing as that was over 20 years ago.