Fresno State Athletics
Photo by: Keith Kountz
Robinson focuses on the details
4/27/2020 12:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Fresno State 6-foot-10 forward Orlando Robinson is a talented, rising soon-to-be sophomore who has committed to building his body and refining his skills since arriving on campus last summer.
FRESNO, Calif. – Orlando Robinson arrived on the Fresno State campus last summer like many college freshmen, with big goals for himself and his new team.
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And in those first 10 months in the Bulldogs' men's basketball program, Robinson – a Las Vegas native – committed to a daily process and mindset to elevate his game.
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"I try to perfect my game as much as I can in every aspect," Robinson said. Â "I try to work on my strengths, but also attack my weaknesses. I find it very important that I do this so I can be very special on the court and it's the mentality that I have. One of my favorite players growing up was Kobe Bryant and his mentality is what separated him from most, and I just thought I should take a little bit from that book and just go with it."Â
Strength and stability key to Robinson's development so far
Throughout his freshman season, Robinson put in extra work before and after practices and games – on the court and especially in the weight room. His application of the strength and conditioning program developed by Randy Flores, who joined Fresno State's staff shortly before the season, has been – and will continue to be – a major factor in his development.
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"I've talked to my strength and conditioning coach, Randy, and I had a meeting with all my coaches," Robinson said. "We've come to the understanding that I need to get stronger so that we can be successful next year. I need to change how I eat, the way I sleep and the way I work out. That's a big thing for me too, so I can get to where I'm trying to go in the future."
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"During the season, we focused more on giving Orlando consistent exposures to low-volume strength work in addition to various stability exercises that were anti-rotation and anti-extension in nature, which improved his ability to have more control and resist unwanted movements while on the court," Flores said of his work with Robinson. "On gamedays, he was consistently lifting in the hours leading up to the game. We did a mixture of activation work, medicine ball throws, low-volume jumping and higher velocity movements in an effort to help prime his Central Nervous System for better performance during the game. Orlando is a talented player, and he has better movement on the floor and can change directions better now. The stability he has gained is something we can continue to build on in the offseason, especially with heavier lifting as we look to add even more strength to his foundation."
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For the past month, most of the Bulldogs have returned to their hometowns, including Robinson, who is currently in Las Vegas, while Fresno State's campus moved to virtual instruction amid the coronavirus pandemic. And while the physical location is different, Robinson has found ways to continue to work on his strength training, skill development and academic coursework.
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"O is a leader and all I expect is a natural progression," Fresno State head coach Justin Hutson said of Robinson. "Our guy Randy -- our strength and conditioning coach -- is absolutely awesome. We want O to be stronger, and physically he's going to be better."
Robinson shines in freshman season
Even prior to this past season, when the Bulldogs led the Mountain West in minutes played by freshmen, Fresno State has had a history of featuring exciting and productive freshmen.
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In the past 25 seasons, those freshmen have included future NBA players like Melvin Ely, Paul George, Randy Holcomb, Tyler Johnson, Tito Maddox, Terrance Roberson, Greg Smith and Paul Watson.
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With Robinson, the Bulldogs have a talented post player, who can play efficiently inside and stretch defenses to the perimeter. He was the only Bulldog to play (and start) in all 30 games, and he led the team with 12.2 points per game and a 49.2% field goal percentage (127-for-258).
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Robinson had five games with at least 20 points, which was the second-most by a Fresno State freshman in the last 15 seasons and one shy of current Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George's six 20-point performances during the 2008-09 season while playing for the Bulldogs.
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For the season, Robinson also averaged 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, and recorded 29 blocks, 25 steals and five double-doubles.
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"I'm focusing on defense more at this time because I think it's something that will take my game to the next level," Robinson said. "Being able to guard all positions off of a pick-and-roll or just straight-up. With the strength I gain this summer, I think my defense will take a big jump and my team will be better for it."
Fresno State Men's Basketball: Freshman Season Records (Last 25 Seasons)
Rebounding Average
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And in those first 10 months in the Bulldogs' men's basketball program, Robinson – a Las Vegas native – committed to a daily process and mindset to elevate his game.
Â
"I try to perfect my game as much as I can in every aspect," Robinson said. Â "I try to work on my strengths, but also attack my weaknesses. I find it very important that I do this so I can be very special on the court and it's the mentality that I have. One of my favorite players growing up was Kobe Bryant and his mentality is what separated him from most, and I just thought I should take a little bit from that book and just go with it."Â
Strength and stability key to Robinson's development so far
Throughout his freshman season, Robinson put in extra work before and after practices and games – on the court and especially in the weight room. His application of the strength and conditioning program developed by Randy Flores, who joined Fresno State's staff shortly before the season, has been – and will continue to be – a major factor in his development.
Â
"I've talked to my strength and conditioning coach, Randy, and I had a meeting with all my coaches," Robinson said. "We've come to the understanding that I need to get stronger so that we can be successful next year. I need to change how I eat, the way I sleep and the way I work out. That's a big thing for me too, so I can get to where I'm trying to go in the future."
Â
"During the season, we focused more on giving Orlando consistent exposures to low-volume strength work in addition to various stability exercises that were anti-rotation and anti-extension in nature, which improved his ability to have more control and resist unwanted movements while on the court," Flores said of his work with Robinson. "On gamedays, he was consistently lifting in the hours leading up to the game. We did a mixture of activation work, medicine ball throws, low-volume jumping and higher velocity movements in an effort to help prime his Central Nervous System for better performance during the game. Orlando is a talented player, and he has better movement on the floor and can change directions better now. The stability he has gained is something we can continue to build on in the offseason, especially with heavier lifting as we look to add even more strength to his foundation."
Â
For the past month, most of the Bulldogs have returned to their hometowns, including Robinson, who is currently in Las Vegas, while Fresno State's campus moved to virtual instruction amid the coronavirus pandemic. And while the physical location is different, Robinson has found ways to continue to work on his strength training, skill development and academic coursework.
Â
"O is a leader and all I expect is a natural progression," Fresno State head coach Justin Hutson said of Robinson. "Our guy Randy -- our strength and conditioning coach -- is absolutely awesome. We want O to be stronger, and physically he's going to be better."
Robinson shines in freshman season
Even prior to this past season, when the Bulldogs led the Mountain West in minutes played by freshmen, Fresno State has had a history of featuring exciting and productive freshmen.
Â
In the past 25 seasons, those freshmen have included future NBA players like Melvin Ely, Paul George, Randy Holcomb, Tyler Johnson, Tito Maddox, Terrance Roberson, Greg Smith and Paul Watson.
Â
With Robinson, the Bulldogs have a talented post player, who can play efficiently inside and stretch defenses to the perimeter. He was the only Bulldog to play (and start) in all 30 games, and he led the team with 12.2 points per game and a 49.2% field goal percentage (127-for-258).
Â
Robinson had five games with at least 20 points, which was the second-most by a Fresno State freshman in the last 15 seasons and one shy of current Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George's six 20-point performances during the 2008-09 season while playing for the Bulldogs.
Â
For the season, Robinson also averaged 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, and recorded 29 blocks, 25 steals and five double-doubles.
Â
"I'm focusing on defense more at this time because I think it's something that will take my game to the next level," Robinson said. "Being able to guard all positions off of a pick-and-roll or just straight-up. With the strength I gain this summer, I think my defense will take a big jump and my team will be better for it."
Fresno State Men's Basketball: Freshman Season Records (Last 25 Seasons)
Rebounding Average
- Orlando Robinson (6.6 rebounds per game)
- Melvin Ely (6.5 rebounds per game)
- Paul George (6.2 rebounds per game)
- Paul George (14.3 points per game)
- Tito Maddox (13.5 points per game)
- Orlando Robinson (12.2 points per game)
- Greg Smith (148-257, 57.6 percent)
- Melvin Ely (155-276, 56.2 percent)
- Terrance Roberson (92-186, 49.7 percent)
- Orlando Robinson (127-258, 49.2 percent)
- Orlando Robinson (98)
- Tito Maddox (97)
- Paul George (92)
- Orlando Robinson (98-139, 70.5 percent)
- Tito Maddox (97-138, 70.3 percent)
- Paul George (92-131, 69.7 percent)
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Players Mentioned
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