Former KU basketball player Thomas Robinson returning to Kansas for youth camp
Former University of Kansas basketball power forward Thomas Robinson will hold his first youth basketball development camp in the Lawrence/Kansas City area Friday, Sept. 18 through Sunday, Sept. 20 at SportsPlex Olathe.
The “Thomas Robinson Beyond Basketball Performance Program” is for boys and girls 8 through 17. It will be run in person by Robinson, 29, who played five years in the NBA as well as the NBA G League, Russia and China after being selected No. 5 overall in the 2012 NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-10, 235-pound Robinson averaged 16.5 points and 12.0 rebounds a game playing 11 games in 2019-20 for the Sichuan Blue Whales in China. He also played four games for Khimki Moscow in the Euroleague, averaging 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds a game.
“I’m ecstatic to come back to Kansas. This will be an annual thing. I’m excited to start building something back in Kansas,” Robinson told The Star on Tuesday in a phone interview. “I want to help players on their road to development. We’ve got one of the top trainers in the world, Chris Johnson, coming in. He’s trained LeBron James and other NBA players (such as Jimmy Butler, Harrison Barnes, Doug McDermott and Victor Oladipo). He will do testing they do at the (NBA) Combine. We’re going to try to develop some kids and hopefully find a star in there.”
Robinson describes the camp as “a holistic basketball player developing opportunity for aspiring basketball athletes that are serious about taking their game to the next level on and off the court.”
He noted, “the camp will shape athletic and personal development skills for young athletes, challenging them to expand both their game and mentality.”
Robinson, who hails from Washington, D.C., said the camp will include NBA Combine type testing (vertical jump, 3/4 court sprint time, height, weight and reach measurements) and sports nutritional guidance.
He said he plans on inviting some former KU basketball players to assist at the weekend event.
Robinson, by the way, said he is looking for a place to play next season.
“I’m going to see what happens with the NBA this offseason,” Robinson said. “There may be opportunities. I’m just working out, staying in shape.”
More information on the camp is available at the Web address https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-thomas-robinson-beyond-basketball-performance-program-tickets-118072591299
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 9:38 AM with the headline "Former KU basketball player Thomas Robinson returning to Kansas for youth camp."
