Assessing Orlando Robinson in the 2022 Basketball Classic Championship Game

April 1^st, 2022

By Alan Lu

Today, I took the time to watch Orlando Robinson and Fresno State play against Coastal Carolina in the 2022 Basketball Classic Championship Game.  Fresno State got off to a big lead, but Coastal Carolina was able to come back to make things competitive in the second half.  Still, Fresno State was able to hold to get the win.  Orlando Robinson had a tremendous showing in this game, and he led the way as he scored 20 points, and had 14 rebounds, and 4 assists to help his team get the victory.  Here are my thoughts on how he fared, as well as where he may currently rate as a prospect for the NBA.

Fresno State’s 7-0 junior center, Orlando Robinson put forth a fantastic performance to lead Fresno State to get the win over Coastal Carolina.  He is an agile, skilled big man that showed off a variety of skills to help his team in this game, and he showed off both a good jump shot and solid, smooth playmaking skills when he was on the floor.

Robinson is a skilled big man that knock down jumpers to help his team space the floor.  He was able to make an open, spot-up three off the catch from well beyond the arc.  Also, he was able to utilize a jab step prior to scoring on a smooth, step-back mid-range jumper.  However, Robinson didn’t take enough threes in this game, and he missed too often on contested mid-range jumpers.

He also showed a solid ability to score off the dribble.  Robinson tended to favor going to his left, and he has a solid first step to the hoop that would enable him to score and draw numerous free throws to frequently get to the foul line.  He also was able to dribble to his left to score on a powerful switch of hands layup while getting fouled when looking to score from the post.  However, Robinson had trouble consistently scoring on an aggressive high-post drives from the post. He also was active at scoring on hustle plays.  Robinson would score on strong put backs.  Sometimes though, he would struggle to finish plays in traffic, as opponents would look to collapse and swarm him to get him to miss shots.

Also, Robinson showed off good playmaking skills in this game.  He is a good passer and ball handler, especially for a player his size.  He consistently made good decisions in the post, and he would pass out to find open shooters, and he also would threw solid interior passes to notch assists.  He does a good job of passing out of double teams, and he gets good touch on his passes.  He also can find his teammates on the move, and he also can make solid passes off the dribble.  He is a good ball handler that can make an assortment of passes to get his teammates the basketball.  On the downside, when posting up once, he threw an inaccurate pass backwards that led to a turnover.

Plus, Robinson did a great job of rebounding the basketball.  He would often haul in boards on both ends of the floor, and sometimes he would bring the ball up and push it up the floor.  He also played decent defense in this game.  Robinson was able to emphatically block a shot from the baseline out of bounds late in this game.  He also did a good job of contesting jumpers, and he also would hold his ground when defending in the post and contest shots to force misses.  However, he had trouble cutting off penetration when defending opponents off the dribble, and sometimes he would get overpowered, which would lead him to commit fouls.  He also tended to commit fouls at times when defending around the basket.

In general, Orlando Robinson played very well, and he thoroughly dominated in this match to lead his team to win the Basketball Classic title in this game.  He was faced with a big test, and he passed with flying colors.  He is an athletic, skilled big man that has the skills to be a first round pick in the 2022 draft.  He’ll still have to address concerns and questions if he can continue to play well against upper echelon competition, but I think he can.  He’ll need to prove to NBA teams that he can reliably knock down outside shots and lock down his man on defense on a consistent basis, but his intriguing skill set and versatility could enable him to be a first round pick on draft day.

Other Notes:

Coastal Carolina’s 6-2 senior point guard, Rudi Williams also played well in his team’s loss to Fresno State.  He excelled as a shooter and scorer in this game, and he is an agile, skilled sharpshooter that can knock down shots from all over the floor.

Williams shot the ball well, especially from beyond the arc.  He showed a knack for making spot-up threes, and he showed that he can do so from way out.  He also managed to draw free throws on a pull-up, baseline mid-range jumper.  On the downside, he struggled to consistently knock down mid-range jumpers in this game.  He also was able to score on a turnaround layup from the post, and he also showed a knack for scoring on aggressive drives in transition, but Williams had trouble consistently scoring off the dribble in the half court.

As a playmaker, he looked to be fairly average.  Williams is an agile playmaker that handles the ball fairly well.  However, he can be a bit turnover prone.  He lost the ball when handling it on a drive once.  He also was called for shuffling his feet when handling it another time, which led him to commit a traveling violation.

Also, Williams did a great job of rebounding the basketball.  He showed a knack for hauling in boards on both ends of the floor due to possessing a good motor.  Defensively, he looked to be about average at best.  Williams was able to jump a pass to get a steal.  However, he struggled to defend in one-on-one situations, as he was called for fouling a post player, and he also got beat off the dribble to allow a score another time.

Overall, Rudi Williams thrived as a shooter, scorer, and rebounder when he was on the court.  He will need to improve his playmaking and defensive skills, but his ability to knock down shots combined with having above average athletic gifts could enable him to compete for a roster spot in the NBA someday.

Fresno State’s 6-5 sophomore guard, Destin Whitaker had a terrific showing in his team’s win over Coastal Carolina.  He did a great job of knocking down open, spot-up threes off the catch, and he made all six of his three-pointers in this game.  He showed a knack for scoring on corner threes, and he also would run quickly off ball screens to make threes off of pin-downs.

On the downside, he had a ball ripped away from him when posting up to commit a turnover once.  He also struggled a bit defensively, as he had trouble defending opponents off the dribble, and would commit fouls as a result.  Overall, Whitaker played very well, and he is an agile, skilled sharpshooter that could be poised to have a breakout season in college basketball next year.

Coastal Carolina’s 6-9 senior forward, Wilfried Likayi also played very well in his team’s loss to Fresno State.  He is an athletic, energetic combo forward that showed off versatile scoring skills, and he also rebounded and defended well in this game.  Though he hasn’t shot the ball too well this season, he thrived at making plays on both ends of the floor, and he did a good job of making shots in this game.

Likayi showed a knack for scoring on open, spot-up threes and quick put backs around the basket.  He would make high-motor plays to score quickly off offensive rebounds in traffic, and he also made a pair of threes to help his team space the floor.  He also showed a knack drawing free throws on strong drives to the basket.  He was rather streaky with his three-point shot though, but Likayi showed that he can make shots both from beyond the arc, as well as around the basket.

He also did a very good job of rebounding the basketball.  He especially excelled as an offensive rebounder, and he would swoop in to get offensive boards for his team.  He also played satisfactory defense in this game.  He was able to jump on a loose ball to get a steal.  He also contested a mid-range shot to force a miss.  Sometimes though, he would commit fouls due to over-aggressiveness.

Overall, Wilfried Likayi had a solid showing in his team’s loss to Fresno State.  He’ll need to improve his three-point shot, but his athleticism, skill set, and motor could enable him to compete for a roster spot in the NBA someday.

Fresno State’s 6-7 sophomore swingman, Leo Colimerio also played very well to help lead his team to a win over Coastal Carolina.  He did a good job of making plays on both ends of the floor to help his team get the victory. He did a good job of knocking down outside shots, as he was able to make an open three, as well as score on a mid-range jumper in this game.  He also did a decent job of scoring in the post, and he also managed to score on a nifty put back once.  Sometimes though, he would struggle to score in traffic.  Also, Colimerio rebounded the ball very well.  Colimerio also played adequate defense in this game.  He thrived at chasing down loose balls to get steals for his team.  Sometimes though, he had trouble defending shooters and opponents off the dribble, which would lead him to allow scores.

Overall, Colimerio had a solid showing in his team’s win over Coastal Carolina.  He made shots from all over the floor, and he also rebounded the ball very well.  He will need to improve his playmaking skills and on-ball defense, but he is a fairly athletic swingman that could be poised to have a solid season next year.

Fresno State’s junior point guard, Isaiah Hill did a very good job of knocking down shots and passing the basketball in this game.  He showed a knack for making threes and pull-up, mid-range jumpers.  He also would get the ball to shooters to notch assists.  Sometimes though, he would be careless with the ball, which would lead to some turnovers.  Overall, he excelled as a shooter and passer, and he could be due for a good season next year.

Vince Cole has played well all season long for Coastal Carolina, but he turned in an uneven performance in his team’s loss to Fresno State.  He was at his best when scoring on strong drives to the hoop.  He also used a shoulder shake to score on a turnaround, fadeaway jumper from the post. 

However, he didn’t play nearly as much as expected, and he didn’t shoot the ball well in this game.  He also had some trouble handling the ball, especially when pressured.  He didn’t grab many rebounds, but he played adequate defense in this game.  Cole was able to deflect a pass to nearly get a steal.  Another time though, he was called for fouling an opposing ball handler, as he had tripped him that time. Overall, Cole didn’t play very well in this game, and he seemed to fade into the background in the second half.  He will need to be a more consistent shooter and playmaker in games, but his pedigree and ability to make shots could enable him to carve out a playing career in professional basketball.