ASU Sun Devil Calaen Robinson practices with the basketball team in Tempe’s athletic training facility. Robinson’s return comes after a campus suspension that he received last year. (Photo by Dominic Valente.)Being a star athlete and big man on campus in high school does not make the transition into college any easier.
In fact, it could make it even more difficult.
Just ask Calaen Robinson.
"It's kind of hard when you have made a name for yourself at your high school and then you come to a place with 60,000-plus students and there are great athletes all around you," he said. "It's a huge transition, but it's all part of becoming a man."
Robinson, a highly-touted recruit who won the state championship his senior year with Corona del Sol, was forced to sit out his first year of college because of an off-the-court incident, which caused him to receive a campus-imposed, one-year suspension from basketball activities.
"It was pretty hard to deal with at first," he said. "I lost some of my confidence and being in that situation has brought me down a little bit, so now I'm just trying to pick myself back up and get back to where I started."
The redshirt freshman combo guard said he has used his year off as motivation to learn how to deal with certain situations and how to be more cautious in his decision making.
He said he took advantage of his time off and tried to "change a negative to a positive" by taking online classes and working out a lot with personal trainers and coaches.
Robinson said Jahii Carson, whom he has known since the two were kids, was one of the main reasons he chose to come to ASU and has been a mentor to him during his tribulations.
"I just try to feed off of what he does and watch him and learn from him," he said. "He's pretty much just like a big brother to me."
Carson has been teaching Robinson how to navigate the transition from the high school game to the college game and has taught him that he needs to have "that killer instinct," Robinson said.
Unlike Carson, however, Robinson was unable to practice with the team his first year.
But Coach Herb Sendek said the team is still looking forward to his presence on the court.
"We have got to help him get his feet on the ground," Sendek said. "He, in essence, hasn't played organized basketball and hasn't been involved in competition since the state championship. ... So I think the first step is just to get him re-acclimated into competitive basketball."
Sendek said Robinson has exceptional quickness, a great ability to get his shot off and has already been gaining weight and addressing what the coach called his greatest challenge: his physical maturity.
"He's kind of like a spider, all arms and legs," he said, "but he has been working to add a few pounds and get ready to play." Corona del Sol Head Coach Sam Duane said Robinson was a four-year starter at the high school and an excellent leader both on and off the court.
"He was a major piece to us winning the title," he said. "Our guys looked up to him and our student fans looked up to him. He just has an all around infectious personality, and people just tend to be drawn to him."
Duane said he has worked with Robinson this summer and thinks his year off has helped him mature mentally and gain a new appreciation for the game.
He said Robinson can score in many ways and thinks his quickness makes him a solid defender, but like Sendek, he said physical maturation will be Robinson's real challenge.
"Calaen is never going to be a thick kid, he is wiry, but as he gets stronger, it will help his game grow," he said. "I think if he will just work hard and be patient, he will have a great career at ASU."
Robinson, who looks up to his single mother as motivation to do well both on and off the court, said he is excited to join the team as it heads to China to play several exhibition games.
He said the trip will be his first time outside of North America and will allow the team to bond before the upcoming season.
"This is a great way to start off the season," he said. "I would never expect to be playing in China at this age."
Reach the reporter at npmendo@asu.edu or follow him on twitter @NPMendoza
