MIKE ROBINSON
Basketball, 1978-80
Inducted February 24, 1996
Mike Robinson had two spectacular seasons for the basketball Bears after transferring to SMS in 1978 from Southeastern (Iowa) Community College. A product of Peoria (Ill.) Woodruff High, Robinson started all 52 games of his SMS career for the Bears of Coach Bill Thomas. Robinson scored in double figures in 48 games, scored 20 or more points 32 times, topped 30 points in a game on nine occasions, and had point-rebound double-doubles in a game 35 times. He topped 20 rebounds in a game four times and had SMS single game highs of 39 points and 26 rebounds. As a junior, Robinson averaged 21.0 points and 11.3 rebounds a game, and shot .537 from the field and .778 from the foul line. He was named to the MIAA all-tournament team, the MIAA all-conference first team, and the NABC South Central all-region first time. He was an NABC all-American honorable mention and runner-up to the MIAA MVP. He was second in the conference in scoring and first in rebounding. As a senior, Robinson increased his already-impressive figures as he averaged 23.3 points and 13.6 rebounds a game and shot .533 from the field and .678 from the foul line. He broke the Hammons Student Center rebound record three times and still holds it with 26 against Northwest Missouri State in February of 1980. His 39 points against Missouri-Rolla in the last game of the 1978-79 season still ranks tied for the fourth best single game point total in SMS history. In 1980, Robinson became the last SMS basketballer to win all-conference first team honors in the MIAA, repeated his MIAA all-tournament selection, as was named to the NABC Division II all-America third team. Robinson set an SMS two-year scoring mark of 1,154 points and still ranks 11th in SMS career scoring. He is the only player in SMS basketball history with a scoring average above 20 points a game for a career with his 22.2 average, and his rebound average of 12.5 a game is second best on the career list. He also owned the career record for field goal percentage at the time his career ended with a .535 figure. On the single season record list, Robinson still ranks third in career points (630), third in scoring average (23.3), second in minutes per game (37.5), sixth in rebounds (367), third in rebound average (13.6), and second in field goals (274); with all those totals having come from his senior year of 1979-80. He also set and still holds the SMS record for field goals (515) and rebounds (650) collected in a two-year career.
