LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- She's averaging almost five points a game. That's seventh on the team and the most she's averaged in her now five seasons at the University of Louisville.
But it's been pretty clear since she arrived here from Ashland Blazer High School that numbers don't tell the story of Mykasa Robinson's contributions.
Louisville's Mykasa Robinson looks to pass during a loss to N.C. State.
"She always plays hard," U of L Coach Jeff Walz said. "I mean, nobody's going to question if Mykasa's going to come out and give you everything she's got. She guards one through four. She'll guard a five if she has to. Just the small things."
The small things have always been big things for Robinson. Taking a charge, diving on the floor for a loose ball, getting a hand on a rebound. You know, winning plays.
"Honestly I never thought about coming in and being a leading scorer," Robinson said. "I always wanted to do whatever it took to get on the court. I came in with Asia (Durr), with AC (Arica Carter), with Sam (Fuehring) and all those other great players that I played with. So I had no expectation about being a leading scorer, just whatever it took to get on the court and help my team win."
She's been named to the ACC all-defensive squad in each of the last two seasons. The defensive mindset started very early in her playing career.
"Yes, defense has always been something I've taken great pride in," she said. "My dad instilled that in me from a young age. 'If you're going to give up more points than you score, then why are you on the court,' my dad would tell me. So I really took a lot of pride in that."
She also takes pride in having played in the most games as a Cardinal, very possibly the most winning games as well.
Louisville's Mykasa Robinson at the 2022 ACC Women's Basketball Media Day.
"She's a program kid," Walz said. "She's the poster kid of a program because of how hard she works, how she carries herself, what she does in the classroom, what she does in the community, everything."
Robinson has an undergraduate degree in exercise science and is using this extra COVID year to start on her masters degree. She hopes to be a strength and conditioning coach for teams down the road.
She said it's not necessarily the moments on the court that she'll remember the most.
"I guess I'm going to remember people," Robinson said. "Basketball's great, winning's fun but the relationships and the people I've gotten to be around is something I can't describe. I'm going to cherish it forever. I'm thankful to coach Walz, my teammates, friends I've made outside of basketball, just even the community of Louisville. This is home to me."
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