New Comm Ave

Standing at a debated five feet nine inches tall, Nate Robinson is not a typical basketball player. Entering the National Basketball Association (NBA) this upcoming year, Nate was drafted as the 21st pick in the first round. The pick belonged to the Phoenix Suns, yet the New York Knicks was the team who chose to draft him because they received that pick in a trade right after the draft concluded. The NBA is a league of giants; it is extremely hard to be successful and short, yet it is possible.

Already catching the attention of the sports world by being arguably the best player in two NBA summer leagues, Nate is not one to submit his will to the fate of most short players. Nate Robinson is striving to be one of the few small and successful basketball players in the NBA, and he plans on doing so the same way he has always proved people wrong: with his toughness, perseverance, work ethic, and excellent athletic ability.

Even though Nate Robinson is highly renowned as a basketball player in the present day, this was not always the case. Nate was a very accomplished football player in high school, but, despite significant accomplishments by his high school basketball team, he was not a highly regarded basketball player. Consequently, coming out of Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, Washington, colleges were not interested in recruiting Nate as a basketball player. On the other hand, Nate was a top football recruit.

In high school, Nate's brawny body was rarely taken down when he lined up in the tailback position, and he was an excellent defensive player. Nate inherited his football prowess from his father, Jacque Robinson, who was a successful running back. Jacque received the honor of being the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Rose Bowl in 1982 and the Orange Bowl in 1985 while playing football for the University of Washington (Robinson). Jacque later continued his football career in the National Football League (NFL). Despite his football prowess, however, Nate loved to play basketball, and desperately wanted to play basketball in college.

Pete Carroll, the football coach of the perennial powerhouse and one of the nation's most elite college football programs, the University of Southern California (U.S.C.), recruited Nate by telling him that he would be the next Heisman Trophy winner if he committed to play football at U.S.C. (Carpenter). Although U.S.C. desired Nate to sign with them to play football, they did not offer him the opportunity to play basketball in any of their discussions with him about attending the university.

The University of Washington also recruited Nate as a football player, yet gave him permission to join the basketball team once the football season was finished (Carpenter). Nate, therefore, declined an offer to attend U.S.C., and instead committed to the University of Washington because, despite his size, he wanted to play basketball.

Nate's freshman football season at Washington was a great success. Playing as a defensive back, Nate tallied two interceptions, 34 total tackles, and 103 yards on kickoff returns (Prospect). He appeared to have embarked on a promising college football career, following in his father's footsteps. Nate, however, had a different idea for himself. Nate's success on the football field did not take his mind off the hardwood. After every football practice, Nate would go straight to the gym to shoot hoops for an hour (Carpenter).

Once the football season was over, Nate was provided a chance to prove himself on the basketball floor. He took that opportunity and ran with it. Emerging as one of the best players on the University of Washington basketball team during the winter of his freshman year, Nate's basketball destiny was set. He was determined thereafter to concentrate all of his efforts in pursuit of his passion - basketball - and never returned to the football team.

Nate worked on his basketball skills relentlessly and became a standout basketball player at Washington. In addition to receiving All-Pac-10 Honors, Nate was named Third Team All-American by the Associated Press (AP) and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) his junior season. This past season, Nate led the University of Washington to its first ever Pac-10 Tournament Championship and a number one seed in the NCAA tournament, in which they made it to the Sweet Sixteen (Profile). Nate, however, was not satisfied with these accomplishments. Originally believed to be a second round pick in this year's NBA draft, Nate surged to a mid-level first round draft pick after he drew the interest of many teams by his impressive workouts at pre-draft camps.

Nate's success to date and emergence into the NBA has been against the odds. There are only five players in the league out of 400 who are under six feet tall (Sandoval). Furthermore, there are 45 players 7'0" or taller in the NBA (Nance). The average height of a NBA player is 6'7"; Nate is listed at 5'9" but has also been measured as short as 5'7". In that short body frame, weighing 180 pounds, Nate certainly packs in a great deal of muscle, particularly in his legs and shoulders (Isola).

Upon entering the league, Nate will be the second shortest player in the NBA, taller than only Earl Boykins of the Golden State Warriors (Nance). Nate has also defied his height limitations by not only playing point guard in the NBA summer league games, a position usually reserved for the shortest players, yet also playing shooting guard. The shooting guard is supposed to be the most prolific scorer on a team and is usually between 6'2" and 6'6". In addition to an incredible jump shot, Nate has an uncanny ability to penetrate to the basket. Even though he is right handed, he is known to be able to hit consecutive three-pointers shooting with only his left hand. Utilizing his speed and positioning, Nate is also a successful rebounder (Isola). Nate's ability to attain rebounds is aided by his amazing 43" vertical leap (Profile). Although Nate lacks physical height, he brings to the table something few other NBA players bring: an unprecedented amount of desire and passion for the game and an unrelenting work ethic.

Many NBA players today do not play with a great amount of passion or a love of the game. Rather, many play for the money and fame. To his competitive advantage, Nate utilizes this passion, in addition to his emotion, aggressiveness, strength, speed, and jumping ability (D'Agostino). Money, prestige and personal accolades have never seemed to motivate Nate. During any game Nate is playing in, one can see him hustling, sprinting up and down the court, and diving on the floor to recover loose balls. Nate drives to the basket relentlessly and also crashes the boards to obtain rebounds, often soaring high above the rim. On the defense end of the court, he constantly harasses his opponent, barely giving the man enough room to breathe.
Nate is a special talent and person; not many people dunk their first basketball in eighth grade at the height of 5'1". Nate can jump so high that he can dunk a basketball without touching the rim, a feat that no one else under six feet can accomplish (Isola).

In addition to his incredible leaping ability, Nate is exceptionally fast and extremely competitive, traits he inherited from his parents (Sherwin). Mike Jensen, Nate's teammate at the University of Washington, emphasized, "He's got this burning desire to compete and win in everything" (Sherwin). One cannot be taught athleticism, passion, or competitiveness. When asked about what made him realize he can and will make a big impression on the professional level, Nate preached, "I just know I can do it. I just believe in myself and God gave me all this talent and so I just have so much confidence in myself that I know I can do. That's why I know I'll get better now and in the NBA one day" (Robinson).

Many players in the NBA are prima donnas, and are not prepared to work hard at practice and in each and every game in which they participate. In sharp contrast, Nate always gives his all on the basketball court and is not afraid to sacrifice his body at any given moment to win individual battles. Nate has an extremely positive attitude and does whatever it takes within the rules of the game to make sure his team wins (Jezierny). Nate once said in an interview, "I play with passion, emotion and charisma, and I just want everybody to see and know what kind of talent God gave me" (D'Agostino).

Nate is a great all-around athlete and absolutely needs all of his athleticism to succeed in the NBA. John Gabriel, the general manager of an NBA team, the Orlando Magic, has made this point clearly: "Undersized players are at a disadvantage before the ball goes in the air. You have to be special, not a specialist, to make up for that" (Nance). What John Gabriel means is that smaller players must be all around outstanding and tough athletes in order to survive in the NBA. Some players may enter the NBA as a specialist in 3-point shooting, defense, or rebounding, but if a player is small he must be able to do it all because he does not have size to shadow his other shortcomings.

Fully aware of his strengths and weaknesses as a player, Nate has already proven that he can play with some of the NBA's best up-and-coming players. Nate turned heads all around the NBA with his performance this past summer in the NBA summer leagues by consistently scoring around twenty points per game and leading the Knicks summer league teams to winning records (D'Agostino). Nate's athletic and leadership potential already have been noted by players and knowledgeable management personnel throughout the league. It seems that every day ESPN.com, NBA.com or one of the major New York newspapers has a new article about the energetic, undersized guard who is looking forward to making a big impact in the NBA this season.

Nate has never let being an underdog, or other people's perceptions of him, impede him from accomplishing his goals in life. Instead of whining about what he was not given, he has worked hard and put all his talents to use, proving people wrong. As a source of inspiration, Nate gives one hundred percent of his heart and effort into every endeavor he pursues. Proving that confidence, hard work, and determination is the key to overcoming many obstacles, Nate has finally risen to the NBA, and his career development is highly anticipated. Nate's former coach at the University of Washington, Lorenzo Romar, said it best, "He is the only one who doesn't know he's 5-9" (Carpenter).

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