If Robinson's game has a flaw, his coaches say, it's that he's too aggressive. The power forward's motor -- that inner desire that allows him to grab rebounds by sheer force of will -- can spin out of control if left unchecked. Spectators recall practices where Jayhawks teammates have leapt out of Robinson's way rather than draw contact of any kind. "No matter what he does, he's going to do it hard," Johnson says. "He just goes, and goes, and goes. That's the most dangerous thing about him." The guard then poses a question, by way of further explanation: "Have you ever stood in front of a freight train?"
By his sophomore year, Robinson was getting bigger, surging past 230 pounds, the product of a team workout regimen that runs 45 weeks a year. But even as he popped up on NBA Draft boards as a projected first-rounder during that trying 2010-11 season, a frustrated Robinson remained stuck behind the Morrii -- two of his best friends -- ultimately putting up 7.6 points and 6.4 rebounds in only 14.6 minutes a game. Withey, likewise, averaged just 2.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 6.2 minutes.
As the duo continued to run the Kansas scout team, their rapport became self-evident. The Morrii still had the edge on them in games, certainly, and Robinson's instructions for Withey -- Shoot the ball! -- didn't stop coming. But now, whenever either Robinson or Withey was trapped, the other would intuitively cut to the rim and receive the ball. If either Robinson or Withey was getting double-teamed -- already a small victory -- the other would collect the easy putback at the basket. If either Robinson or Withey took a risk defensively, the other would be waiting in the paint to erase the mistake.
They were getting better, and yet bigger, together. "We had a great vibe," says Withey, whose increasing weight (now into the 220s) mirrored his climbing offensive initiative (centered around that jump hook). Adds Johnson, "If you bang with T-Rob all day, or just work out with him all day, you can't be scared."
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"Everybody talks about Thomas, which they should," a victorious Self said while standing in a hallway in the bowels of the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday night. "But people in our program know that Jeff is our anchor."
