Central Missouri’s Robinson looks back fondly on road he chose
Daylen Robinson’s story could have had a different ending than the one that will unfold Saturday afternoon.
That is when Central Missouri will take the floor at the Ford Center for an NCAA Division II national championship showdown against West Liberty.
It remains to be seen if Robinson goes out a champion. But not too long ago, after a stellar high school career at Northeast, he thought about going a different route.
“Coming out of high school, I had to go to junior college, and I was rethinking going to college, period,” said Robinson, a senior point guard. “I thought about going overseas.”
Robinson stuck with going to college, playing at Moberly Community College in Moberly, Mo., before spending last season at Texas Tech.
He landed at Central Missouri this year and is in a position to help the 20th-ranked Mules, 29-5, win their second title in program history. The first was won in 1984, the last time Central Missouri played for the championship.
The Mules’ opponent, seventh-ranked West Liberty (W.Va.), 31-3, is in the title game for the first time.
“This is one of the greatest experiences I’ve had, and one of the best decisions I ever made was coming to this program,” said Robinson, who averages 12.9 points per outing and has dished out 178 assists. “I never thought I would get this chance to make this dream come true.”
Robinson is one of 10 new players for the Mules, and one of a handful of players from the Kansas City area.
Teammate TJ White, a junior guard out of O’Hara has been Robinson’s friend since middle school.
Junior forward/center Dillon Deck (Smithville), senior guard Ryan Magdziarz (Blue Valley) and freshman guard/forward Kyle Wolfe (Rockhurst) are also from the area.
Robinson said he and his teammates share a special bond because of the time they spend off the court, but noted his relationship with White is as special as it gets. They were teammates in junior high and played together at Moberly as well.
“We have an unbreakable bond,” Robinson said. “He is like a brother to me. He and I share a bond that I don’t have with anyone else.”
The fact that Central Missouri could make a run at the title despite having a different look than a year ago is, in part, a credit to the leadership of Charles Hammork, Jon Gilliam and Magdziarz.
“I think we had a good mix of players, and I also think our senior leadership has been tremendous,” Central Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. “Those guys did a great job of bringing this team together.”
A grueling preseason also served Central Missouri well.
“We had a boot camp with the ROTC officers, and we grinded every day,” Deck said. “We put in a lot of hard work and really came together as a team during the camp. It built the bond we have right now.”
The bond is evident on the court. The Mules average 80.4 points per game and allow 68.2. Ten players average five or more points per outing, and the Mules average 13.1 assists per game.
Teamwork will be key against the Hilltoppers, who play up-tempo basketball, living off forced turnovers and shots on the perimeter.
Anderson said dealing with West Liberty, which averages 100.5 points and features seven players scoring 10 or more points per outing, won’t be easy.
Yet, he is confident in the game plan and likes the focus of his team.
“Our focus has been unbelievable ever since we lost in the conference tournament,” Anderson said. “We had video on during breakfast this morning, and normally we don’t do that. The guys were all glaring at the TV.”
Deck can’t wait to put the preparation behind him and just play.
“It’s a great feeling,” Deck said. “I never thought I’d be able to say I get to play for a national championship. It’s exciting.”
This story was originally published March 28, 2014 at 7:13 PM with the headline "Central Missouri’s Robinson looks back fondly on road he chose."