Jaxson Robinson is under significant pressure as he approaches his final college season. The fifth-year guard from Kentucky has once again earned a spot on a Player of the Year Watch List.
On Thursday, Robinson was included in the 2024-25 John R. Wooden Award Top 50 Preseason Watch List, marking the second such recognition for him this season. The 6-foot-6 guard was also selected for the Naismith Player of the Year Watch List and the Julius Erving Award (for the best small forward in the nation) earlier in the preseason. Additionally, he was recognized as an All-SEC Third Team selection by coaches and media.
In his first regular-season game with Kentucky this week, which ended with a 103-62 victory over Wright State, Robinson contributed eight points (3-6 FG), five rebounds, three assists, and one block. He tallied a total of 43 points across two exhibition games against Kentucky Wesleyan (19 points) and Minnesota State (24 points). After playing the past two seasons under Mark Pope at BYU, where he earned the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year award for the 2023-24 season, Robinson followed his coach to Kentucky. He is the only player on the roster with prior experience under Pope and averaged 14.2 points per game last season, with expectations to maintain similar performance at UK.
Robinson is among 11 SEC players on the Watch List, alongside names like Auburn’s Johni Broome, Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr., and Arkansas’ Johnell Davis, with only five freshmen included.
As the season progresses, the Wooden Award will gradually narrow down its candidates, ultimately revealing a 15-man national ballot during the week of the Elite 8, with the winner announced in April.
Mark Pope’s media engagements continue to captivate, providing insights into his unique coaching philosophy. Following the Wright State win, he shared thoughts on the brain’s biology as it relates to basketball and how a referee symposium shifted his view on officiating. In a preview for Saturday’s game against Bucknell, Pope shared several intriguing insights.
When discussing how he identifies unselfishness in players during recruitment, Pope expressed a preference for athletes who think outwardly rather than inwardly, citing societal shifts towards more self-focused behaviors through phenomena like selfies.
He humorously noted that he lacks a “Rorschach Test” to assess recruits’ selflessness, stating that while it’s difficult to diagnose, values such as sacrifice and understanding the larger picture are crucial traits he looks for.
Pope introduced the Catapult Basketball Movement Profile, a sophisticated tool that analyzes and categorizes players’ movements, and spoke about its application in refining athlete conditioning. He aims for the team to reach optimal fitness by mid-January.
While the team focuses on their upcoming games, including a significant match against Duke in the Champions Classic, Pope is pleased with how his players maintain concentration and stay present during practices. He incorporates moments of silence in shootarounds to promote mindfulness, emphasizing the power of focusing on the current task instead of distractions.
Pope admits his intense focus can sometimes lead to a disconnect with the broader sports landscape, as evidenced when he remarked that he was unaware of his partially favored Yankees’ playoff progress. Despite his lack of awareness about various sports events, he maintains a deep knowledge of Kentucky basketball, reflecting his dedication to the task at hand.
