Sticks and Stony

I spent a good portion of last weekend contemplating what to write about for my next post. With the Broncos floundering about (looking very ugly and beatable I might add) atop the AFC West standings, I decided to avoid that sore subject for the time being. A couple weeks ago when I was kicking around the blog idea, I wanted to write one of my first posts on the UConn Men. Specifically on one of the more compelling characters I've ever met - Stanley Robinson. "Sticks" was the nickname that Assistant Patrick Sellers assigned to him. Stanley was cool with it, so I guess it kinda stuck.

This is gonna require me to take you back a couple years when I was working at UConn. An ultimately good experience, I worked with some great people, established a rewarding relationship with Athletic Director Jeffrey Hathaway, and got to meet and get to know some of the athletes.

Stanley Robinson hit the UConn campus early in the summer of 2006, several weeks prior to all the incoming freshmen. After only one conversation, I knew what this kid's deal was. Without seeing his ID, address or recruitment info, I knew he was from Alabama. The accent, the respectful "Yes Sir. No Sir", the constant smile, and the genuineness - a great kid with a great heart that was unknowingly about to declare his major in Culture Shock. My friends and I were immediately drawn to his personality. The type of guy that you love seeing walk through the door, because you knew you were about to get a real smile, a joke, and someone willing to hang out and talk about anything. An ultimately down-to-earth and refreshingly humble individual.

His athleticism was off the charts. Someone who had great height, could jump through the gym, added a shot-altering presence, and possessed a surprisingly fluid jump shot with 3-point range - just a remarkable offensive prospect. He struggled to get minutes early as a freshman, but finally cracked the starting lineup on January 13 at St. John's (he posted a double/double with a couple dimes and a blocked shot). This got me excited for a few reasons - he was fun to watch, he gave the team a much-needed spark offensively (despite his inconsistencies), and because I was just genuinely happy for him.

But there was an impending fall from grace. Calhoun started benching him immediately following each blown defensive assignment (as he does with everyone), each time he didn't box out, each questionable shot or turnover. The dejection and loss of confidence was more than apparent. There were maturity issues - everybody knew it. He was 17 when he arrived on campus, and he'd probably never left Alabama.

He talked about his mother and his daughters all the time. He made sure we all got to see their pictures, and we all knew their names. Behind the enormous smile, though, was a young kid struggling mightily, and I could see it in his eyes and in the way he carried himself. I offered words of encouragement when I could, and words of advice when appropriate. He was homesick though, struggling with the temptations of all of the on-campus pressures (substances, women, etc… which are exacerbated 10-fold for athletes), and struggling with Calhoun's methods. After all, Calhoun doesn't just subscribe to the tough love theory - he wrote the book. Stanley assuredly had difficulties adjusting to this. He'd either take Calhoun's cursing and coaching as personal attacks or turn a deaf ear - neither approach was successful.

As an aside, I have been relatively vocal with my endorsement of universities affording collegiate athletes a stipend – a number of universities do so, but under the table (see USC). I obviously don’t condone the behavior that leads to athletes stealing laptops and such - but it’s much harder to imagine that such behavior would occur if they were provided with some measure of living expenses. One has to consider that the majority of scholarship athletes are inner-city kids. And as such, they probably received a poor high-school education (and therefore must dedicate a larger segment of their time studying to maintain eligibility), whose parent(s) probably have no money, and who struggle to balance a work-out schedule, practice schedule, class schedule, study schedule, and so on. These kids make their universities an absurd amount of money. Yes, several receive scholarships, but as the university’s highest-profile students they also have a certain lifestyle to live up to - that's just the way it is. It's fine enough in theory to object, but one can't reasonably expect them to never have any spending cash, never have fresh clothes or a cell phone, have to rely on friends or freeloaders to pick up the tab if they want to eat out...
Not be able to buy a plane ticket to fly home to see their kids.............................

Fast forward to last winter. Rumors started circulating around campus that Stanley's frustrations were coming to a front. He was looking to transfer. Surely any number of D-1 schools would love to bring him aboard - give him a fresh start. Alabama was calling. As a Stanley fan and a UConn fan, this was disastrous news. I desperately wanted to see the kid flourish under Calhoun; that being literally what was best for him personally and his best bet to become a 1st-round selection in the NBA draft (plus avoiding the one-year layoff for transfer eligibility). Honestly though, I had my doubts... Everything culminated with Stanley withdrawing himself from UConn after the Fall ’07 semester. It appeared as though the book was finally getting closed.

Earlier this year, (surprisingly and to everyone’s relief) Stanley announced that he would return to UConn and take classes this Fall. Calhoun promised to allow Stanley to return to the team following this semester... but with conditions. Calhoun knew that Stanley needed to grow up – fast - in order to realize his tremendous potential and help carry the team deep into March (or early-April !?). So Coach made him go get a job. Stanley couldn't practice with the team, work out with the team, anything. Instead he had to work at 7AM full-time, working out on his own, upping his grades. Stanley agreed to serve his "suspension" dutifully and faithfully, eyeing Fall's finals week and Stony Brook on the team schedule.

Five months removed from the Calhoun-imposed life lesson, Monday marked the return of #21 to the UConn bench. A very warm reception reverberated through the XL Center. I couldn’t help but crack a big smile myself witnessing his satisfaction – the kind that knowing you’ve done the right thing brings. You could see the relief, the weight being lifted... the joy. He’s back doing what he loves, and he’s back to push UConn over the top.

A year or so ago, in one of my (admittedly few) moments of clarity, I realized something:
True joy comes not from doing what you wanna do. But from being where you know you’re supposed to be.

From one of your biggest fans, Stanley, here’s to your fresh start. Here’s to you picking up the pieces and putting them all together. Here’s to you getting your life where it needs to be. And here’s to you going through a serious dose of reality... and coming out a better ballplayer and a better man.