Virginia Basketball 2023-2024 Roster Preview: Anthony Robinson

With UVA's relatively thin front court, is there a path for Robinson to contribute on the floor in his freshman season?

Basketball season is upon us. As we march closer to another exciting Virginia men's basketball season, CavaliersNow is previewing UVA's roster player by player in preparation for the 2023-2024 season, which begins on Monday, November 6th against Tarleton State at John Paul Jones Arena. 

Today, we analyze freshman forward Anthony Robinson. 

Click on the following links to read our player previews for the rest of the UVA men's basketball roster: Isaac McKneely | Taine Murray | Leon Bond III | Dante Harris | Elijah Gertrude | Blake Buchanan | Jake Groves | Andrew Rohde | Jordan Minor | Ryan Dunn | Reece Beekman

Since his commitment to Virginia back in April, Anthony Robinson has been considered something of a long-term project and a possible candidate to redshirt his first season at UVA. But based on a combination of factors, including the Cavaliers' personnel in the front court and Robinson's ability to provide some helpful depth and physicality in that area, there's a chance Robinson could play a role for Virginia as a freshman. 

Let's start by exploring why Robinson, at least initially, made for a likely redshirt candidate. A 6'10" forward from Peachtree City, Georgia, Robinson was relatively underrecruited out of high school with mostly mid-major programs recruiting him. A three-star prospect according to 247Sports, Robinson was originally committed to South Florida, but a coaching change resulted in him being granted a release from his National Letter of Intent last spring. Thanks to a strong senior season in which Robinson led his team to a 31-4 overall record and the state championship, Robinson received interest from a handful of major conference programs, including Georgia, Vanderbilt, and Virginia. Robinson visited UVA officially and, less than a week later, Robinson announced his commitment to join Virginia's 2023 recruiting class. 

When Virginia officially announced that Anthony Robinson signed his National Letter of Intent, the press release included quotes from both Robinson and Tony Bennett. UVA's head coach said, "Anthony is a hard worker with great upside. He and his family value a degree from the University of Virginia.” Robinson added, "the coaches are great and are invested in my development." The emphasis on "upside" and "development" in those quotes further emphasized the idea that the Cavaliers were prepared for Robinson to be a long-term project. 

But Robinson is officially listed on Virginia's roster as 6'10", 238 pounds, making him arguably the most physically imposing player on the team (in terms of height and weight) even as a freshman. Furthermore, UVA's front court situation is somewhat of a question mark. Jordan Minor is expected to start as an undersized center at 6'8" and the 6'11" freshman Blake Buchanan will likely be his backup, but rising sophomore Ryan Dunn could also see time at center as well. Point being that it's not as if Virginia has a reliable returning pure center who will make it impossible for freshmen like Buchanan or Robinson to carve a role out for themselves if they make enough strides. 

And that brings us to what we saw from Anthony Robinson in Saturday's scrimmage, which was a player who is physically ready to play at this level. Robinson held his own in the paint from a defense and rebounding standpoint and made his only two field goals, finishing a couple of strong dunks, including one through contact for an and-one. What was most impressive was the speed with which Robinson gathered the ball on the low block and elevated for those dunks. That's a simple play and looks really easy when done right, but it's a trait that separates average centers from great ones, especially being able to do so through contact. It requires good hand-eye coordination and quick and smooth movements, which aren't guarantees when dealing with near seven-foot centers. 

UVA has had forwards and centers who were capable of executing this particular move with consistency - Mike Tobey, Mamadi Diakite, and Jay Huff come to mind - but Kadin Shedrick and Francisco Caffaro weren't quite up to par on that front and it's something the Cavaliers have sorely missed the last couple of seasons. Robinson was clearly not intimidated by his first appearance under the lights at JPJ and did not miss on his two opportunities for powerful dunks in Saturday's scrimmage. 

RobinsHIM!

🔶⚔️🔷#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/GcRWwYfdiC

— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) October 14, 2023

Perhaps my view from the baseline skewed my perspective in his favor, but Anthony Robinson's size and strength was impossible to miss. He looks like he could contribute for the Cavaliers this season if they need it. Redshirting has been a controversial subject lately in college basketball (and college sports in general) since it seems so rare that a player stays at one school for five years anyway. If it ends up being the case that it's the best choice for Robinson to redshirt this year and he agrees that that's the right move too, then of course no one should have any issue with that course of action. But if there's a chance that Robinson can contribute some helpful depth for Virginia's front court this season, why not give him that opportunity?

What's your prediction for Anthony Robinson's freshman season at Virginia? Let us know on social media below and stay tuned for the rest of our roster previews for the 2023-2024 UVA men's basketball season.

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