Men’s Basketball: Undersized Robinson ready to play power forward

Standing at 6 feet 5 inches and weighing 220 pounds, sophomore Nasir Robinson will be one of the… Standing at 6 feet 5 inches and weighing 220 pounds, sophomore Nasir Robinson will be one of the smallest, if not the smallest, power forwards in the Big East this season.

Last year’s starting power forward, Tyrell Biggs, is 6 feet 8 inches tall and 250 pounds, and neither West Virginia nor Villanova —­­ widely expected to be the top two teams in the conference this year — have a power forward shorter than 6 feet 7 inches.

But this shouldn’t be a concern for Panthers fans, as Robinson has all the tools necessary to beat bigger players down low in the post.

“I just out-smart them. I beat them to certain spots,” Robinson said. “I know where the ball’s going to bounce off the rebound, and I can beat them with my quickness.”

While Robinson averaged only 1.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 6.4 minutes of action per game last season, he came on strong at times, and his team recognized him as its most improved player at a postseason banquet.

Last season’s experience helped him immensely because he could observe another undersized big man, the 6-foot-7-inch, 260-pound center DeJuan Blair, who weighed heavier when playing at Pitt, from both the bench and the floor.

“I learned a lot [from Blair], like how he used his body and how he outsmarted the defenders too,” Robinson said.

Yet unlike Blair, Robinson has the ability to step away from the basket and beat his defender with his quickness and agility and will force his bigger and slower opponents to come out of their comfort zones.

“I make them come out and guard me away from the basket, and I can beat them off the dribble,” Robinson said.

Being more agile than the man guarding him will also help him in transition, which the Panthers plan to use a lot this season as they return several skilled guards who can help the team capitalize on its speed to get fast break points.

In their 75-64 win against Slippery Rock in an exhibition game last Sunday, the Panthers started guards Travon Woodall, Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker.

“We’re going to definitely push the ball in transition,” Robinson said. “We do transition drills every day in practice, so we’re going to get out and do a whole lot of running.”

Against Slippery Rock, Robinson had 11 points in 25 minutes and showed off his quickness as he made several nice cuts to the basket.

Robinson credits Jameer Nelson of the Orlando Magic for helping him improve in that area of his game. Nelson and Robinson both went to Chester High School in Chester, Pa.

“I worked out with him a couple times during the summer,” Robinson said. “I did a lot of agility drills with him and some skill work back home.”

Robinson said he’ll spend time at both forward positions. It looks like he might play a little more at small forward during the first part of the season with fellow forward Gil Brown academically ineligible.

Yet even when Brown is not in the lineup, the team will count on Robinson to provide solid minutes at power forward.