Devin Robinson takes charge in Florida Gators win

Taking a charge is the most selfless thing a player can do on the basketball court. Setting your feet and staring down an opponent that is barreling towards you, helpless to do anything but brace for contact and hope the hardwood isn’t too hard when you hit it.

Florida Gators sophomore forward Devin Robinson took three charges in a 77-72 win over Ole Miss, after taking just two heading into the contest. The third charge Robinson took helped Florida hold on to its lead late, and sent Ole Miss’ leading scorer Stefan Moody to the bench with five fouls.

“I was in the right position, the right time, just took it in the chest. I knew he had four fouls and it made the game a lot easier, with him not in the game,” Robinson said. “He’s a big threat on offense. I just knew he was going to keep driving to the basket. Coach was like ‘help off,’ so I left my man and just stood there. Fortunately I got the charge.”

Robinson’s effort was matched by his teammates Mike White called out his team’s defensive intensity and effort, calling his team’s effort “frustrating.” Florida held Moody to 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting and forced 16 turnovers.

Robinson has struggled through ups and downs this season. He lost his starting role to Justin Leon when SEC play began but kept his head up. Florida Gator Head Coach Mike White praised the way Robinson handled losing his starting spot in January saying, “I don’t necessarily want guys to be overly accepting of their roles. I want guys competing. I want Devin today to show me why I should play him 30 minutes.”

Robinson earned 28 minutes against Ole Miss and Florida outscored Ole Miss by 18 points when Robinson was on the court.

“Devin Robinson was terrific. I thought it was the best game of his career,” said White. “He was really good, the best day that Devin’s had since I’ve been here for sure. His 15 points on seven shots was really efficient.”

Robinson led the way off the bench for Florida and his play against Ole Miss should boost his confidence moving forward. It certainly impressed his coach.

“I thought he played with energy, he was flying all over the court,” said White. “I was really impressed with his effort.”

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC