Craig Robinson
Craig Robinson, who led Brown University to a school record 19 victories last season, enters his first season at the helm of the Oregon State University men’s basketball program and was named the 20th head coach in school history at a press conference on April 7, 2008.
In two years at Brown, Robinson led a turnaround for the Bears program, guiding the squad to a school-record 19 victories. The second-year Brown coach also led the Bears to their fourth ever post-season tournament berth, competing in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational. Robinson’s team posted an 11-3 Ivy League mark, second best in school history, and good for second place in the conference standings. Robinson won more games (30) in his first two years than any other head coach in Brown basketball history.
Robinson made an immediate impact on the Brown basketball team in his first year at the helm of the program as he was named the Ivy League Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year by BasketballU.com.
In his first season at Brown, Robinson guided the Bears to an improved 11-18 mark, 6-8 in the Ivy League, finishing fifth in the conference. He led the Bears to a stunning 51-41 victory over Providence College, limiting the Friars to 14 second-half points and 18-percent shooting from the floor in the second half (4-of-22). His Brown team also limited NCAA-bound Michigan State to 45 points, its lowest point total of the season.
Prior to Brown, Robinson worked at Northwestern, where he spent six seasons with the Wildcats under head coach Bill Carmody (former head coach at Princeton). Robinson’s relationship with Carmody dates to the 1982-83 season when as a senior captain, he led Princeton to the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, Carmody’s first year as an assistant coach with the Tigers.
At Northwestern, Robinson developed and implemented his local, national and international recruiting technology. He was an integral part of Northwestern’s dramatic turnaround, helping the Wildcats to the most wins in a four-year period in school history with 57 victories from the 2001-2002 to the 2004-2005 seasons. Robinson also helped Northwestern finish ninth in the nation in scoring defense (58.8 points per game) in 2005-2006.
A 1983 graduate of Princeton with an AB (Arts of a Bachelor degree) in Sociology, Robinson is considered one of the top players in Ivy League history. He ranks fourth on Princeton’s all-time scoring list with 1,441 points and led the Ivy League in field goal percentage in 1982 (.577) and 1983 (.642).
Robinson was also the league’s first two-time honoree as Ivy League Player of the Year, sharing the honor in 1982 before winning it outright in 1983. He played under legendary Princeton coach Pete Carrill, leading the Tigers to two NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship appearances during his tenure (1981 and 1983). His 16 rebounds in a NCAA tournament win over Oklahoma State in 1983 rank fifth in the Ivy League record book for NCAA games.
After graduating from Princeton with a degree in sociology, Robinson was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the fourth round of the 1983 NBA draft. He played two seasons with the Manchester (England) Giants of the European Basketball League. In addition, he served as the assistant to the general manager and public relations officer for Manchester.
Robinson began his coaching career as an assistant coach at the Illinois Institute of Technology from 1988-90. He was responsible for offense implementation, game strategy, recruiting and advance scouting. He was also the head coach at the University of Chicago High School in 1999-2000.
Robinson, who also has an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (1992), took a hiatus from coaching and went into private business in 1990. He was a Vice President for Continental Bank from 1990-92, Vice President for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter from 1992-99 and then Managing Director for Loop Capital Markets before he made his move to Northwestern.
Robinson succeeds Jay John, who went 72-97 in five-plus seasons with the Beavers. Entering its 108th season of basketball, Oregon State is the 13th winningest program all-time in NCAA Division I and has made 16 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship appearances. The program has produced 32 All-America selections and 75 all-conference selections. Five Oregon State players have been named Pac-10 Player of the Year while 42 players have been selected in the NBA Draft, including 12 first round selections.
Robinson and his wife Kelly have a 15-year-old son, Avery, and an 11-year-old daughter, Leslie.
