Craig Robinson has friends in high places. Unlike myself, and Garth Brooks, who have friends in low places. However, Robinson’s political connections weren’t enough to save his job in Corvallis, Oregon. Sometimes it’s actually NOT about who you know (shocking, revolutionary concept I know) but more about the results you can produce.
Robinson didn’t produce many results with the Oregon State basketball team, and the University has terminated his employment on Cinco de Mayo. But now he has a new cushy gig with Bristol.
Here’s my screengrab that went viral in 2012. Craig Robinson photobombing the President at the inauguration. pic.twitter.com/FVpWMYnvq4
— Ken Fang (@fangsbites) October 7, 2014
Former head coaches Stan Heath and Craig Robinson have joined ESPN as men’s college basketball analysts. They will call game telecasts on ESPNU, in addition to providing insight and analysis on the 24-hour college sports network’s studio programming.
The pair will debut during the annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon. Heath will be the analyst on the Miami (Fla.) at preseason-ranked No. 9 Florida on Monday, Nov. 17, at 9 p.m. on ESPNU and Robinson will call the Iona at Wofford matchup on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 7 a.m. on ESPN2.
Craig Robinson was drafted in the fourth round of the 1983 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, but never played in the league. After graduation, he played professionally for the Manchester Giants in the British Basketball League for two seasons. A star forward at Princeton University, Robinson was a two-time Ivy League Player of the Year, leading the league in field goal percentage both years. He is the sixth highest scorer in school history with 1,441 points.
He did get off to a decent tart, taking a program that had lost 21 straight Pac-12 games to an 18-win season in 2008-09. But the Beavers never got any better under Craig Robinson, finishing no better than fifth in the Pac-12 in his six seasons. Oregon State won 21 games in 2011-12, but went 7-11 in conference, so their NCAA tournament bubble burst.
After going 14-18 in 2012-13, the Beavers were 16-16 this season, including 8-10 in the Pac-12, and lost to Radford at home in the CBI. You can’t do that at a High-major program and expect to keep your job for too much longer.
Craig Robinson went 94-105 with Oregon State after spending two seasons as Brown’s head coach. Maybe he’ll head back to the Ivy league now? I think he knows a guy on the East Coast who knows a guy who could make a couple phone calls. At the very least, Robinson should have a good reference on his resume for his next job application.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and very often writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2