When it was announced last week that Middleburg Academy guard A.J. Robinson would be bringing his game to Alderson Broaddus University, it became evident that the Battlers had found a guard with incredible shooting ability. It only takes one look at his statistics and honors to come to this summary. This past season Robinson averaged 18.1 points per game with a lot of those points coming from the 127 three-pointers that he made throughout the course of the season. As a four-year starter on the basketball team, Robinson racked up the accolades throughout his high school career. This past season he was named to the 2nd-team Division II VISSA all-state basketball team. During his junior season, he was named to the 1st-team Division III VISSA all-state basketball team while leading his team to the VISSA state title. Other honors have followed including 1st-team All-Capital Beltway team and the prestigious Washington Post All-Met (DC/MD/Northern VA) honorable mention team.
While the basketball accomplishments show tremendous ability on the basketball hardwood floor, there is another side that A.J. will bring to the Philippi campus in August. Robinson has been taught his whole life to be a person with more than basketball talents. His track record off-the-court displays his aptitude beyond the basketball setting. He has served as a student ambassador at Middleburg Academy. This designation calls for A.J. to represent the entire student body at fairs, open houses and at the school when families come to visit the academy. This job has little or nothing to do with basketball. It has to do with Robinson's overall talents in the game of life. As student ambassador, he informs prospective students and parents about the school, its' academics and what all the school has to offer. He has also served on the Green Club. This involved A.J. working with a group of students who bring environmental awareness to the student body. He has performed such duties as road clean ups, helping stray animals be adopted and build sufficient recycling schedule that involves the entire school. Robinson was also named as a peer leader at Middleburg Academy where the goal is to bring students in the school closer together and helping struggling students or students in need in order to achieve at their highest level. One could summarize that Robinson's overall life is as well-rounded as the basketball that he shoots so well.
With this type of overall talents in the game of life comes someone who along the way has offered
guidance and leadership to A.J. He is quick to give much credit to his father for being such an influence for his life. "My father has by far been the biggest influence in my life," stated Robinson. "He's taught me everything I know on and off the court. He taught me how hard I have to work to be successful in life to the way I should treat people."
His talents have led A.J. to many awards, honors and recognition during his high school career. But one of his biggest thrills from his high school career came when Robinson helped lead Middleburg Academy to the 2015 VISSA Division III boys state basketball title. "Winning the VISSA State Championship as a junior was a great experience for me," Robinson said. "Being able to play on that stage and pull out the victory in such a tight game against Christ Chapel in a game that came down to the wire felt incredible. It was definitely a game and season that I will remember forever." This type of accomplishment further leads Battler fans to believe that not only is A.J. a talented player and student, but also a player that can continue to lead Alderson Broaddus basketball to its' winning ways.
Robinson had success outside of the high school regular season. He has been able to gain exposure but also further develop his overall basketball game by playing in off-season basketball camps and AAU events. He was noted as a top day one performer at the notable Pitt Jam Fest for select AAU squads. A.J. was highlighted by the Pitt Jam Fest website for his first day performance where he shot 7 of 10 from beyond the arc. He talked some about that event: "We played teams from all over the country. We played teams from North Carolina, New York, Indiana and even a team from Canada. I had a pretty strong performance that weekend and shot real well that first game."
A.J. was also named last summer to the Old Dominion University's Elite Camp Top Ten Performer List for his quality play. He told Battler Beat how that experience helped further develop his overall game: "I was able to see all the top talent from the DMV and Tidewater area in one gym," stated Robinson. "Playing with and competing against all of them was a real eye-opener. It helped to really gauge where my game was. I was able to really assess my strengths and weaknesses."
Robinson told Battler Beat that he first got attention from Alderson Broaddus due to a contact that he had with one of the opposing high school coaches that he faced during his high school career. A.J. stated that he happened to be sharing emails with Riverdale Baptist head boys basketball coach Lou Williams. Robinson told Williams that he still hadn't decided on a college. It was a short time after that when Robinson received a text from Alderson Broaddus assistant men's basketball coach Duncan Williams. A.J. talked about what went down after that: "A few days later after I emailed Coach Lou Williams, Alderson Broaddus Assistant Coach Duncan Williams texted me and asked me to come down for a workout/visit. I went down for the visit a few days later. I played pick up for a few hours against the AB players and Coach Zimmerman offered me afterwards."
A.J. Robinson says he and the coaching staff at ABU project him as a two-guard with some ability to run the point if needed. This would fill a big gap for next year's Battler squad. Robinson noted the following about his ability to play the two-guard at the college level: "I would say my biggest strength is my ability to knock down three point shots. However, I also can see the floor well and am a pretty exceptional passer." This strength would be a big asset that ABU lacked last season after a Division I transfer two-guard failed to show up for school and then the dismissal of two-guard Devin Colston from the team prior to the start of the season. These openings on the squad give Robinson an early chance in his career to play minutes for the Battlers. But he also realizes that he brings a pretty good intangible when it comes to playing for a demanding coach like Greg Zimmerman. "I also think of myself as having a high basketball IQ," claimed Robinson. This is a must to fit in and gain playing time as a freshman for ABU.
Robinson was quick to point out that in order to be able to play significant minutes coming out of high school does require some adaptability to the college game and that some aspects of his basketball game would need to be further developed. A.J. told Battler Beat that he wanted to focus a lot more on his on-the-ball defense. He felt that was an area that he would have to continue to improve in order to help the Battlers. He also noted that he needed to get physically stronger to adapt to the college game. He told Battler Beat that he was committed to making these improvements to his game.
A.J.ended his interview by talking about what led him to Alderson Broaddus and what his academic plans were during his time in Philippi. "I want to study communications. I think I would really like being a sports reporter and broadcaster," stated Robinson. He felt that the ABU campus had the environment where he could succeed on the academic side. "AB feels like the kind of place I can thrive," said Robinson. "There is a very insulated environment and I really enjoyed my time on campus. Coach Zimmerman and Coach Williams seem like great coaches, and I was looking for a place where we could win and I could play right away." Based on his overall talent and accomplishments, A.J. Robinson will be aiming his goals at a high level on and off the hardwood.
On Friday morning, it was confirmed that the Alderson Broaddus University men's basketball staff had put out an offer to DeAundra Murphy, a rising senior at Huntington St. Joseph's High School. Murphy is coming off a junior campaign that saw him average 14.5 points per game this past season in helping to lead St. Joe's to the 2016 WV Class A state title. For his efforts, DeAundra was named to the 2nd-team West Virginia Class A All-State basketball team. He was also named to the 2016 WV All-Tournament Team for his efforts at the state tournament in Charleston.
