Waubonsee Community College’s Patrick Robinson wasn’t trying to be Nostradamus.
Or was he?
The Oswego East graduate almost called the record-setting winning streak by the Chiefs.
In the midst of a long knee injury rehabilitation, the 6-foot-4 forward left Missouri-St. Louis. Last spring, he was taking classes at Waubonsee and reacquainted himself with the school.
Coach Lance Robinson, no relation, initially recruited Patrick Robinson, who was injured in practice late as a freshman and said he was limited to “garbage time minutes” for a team loaded with veterans as Missouri-St. Louis reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
And then he came back home and attended Waubonsee.
“I’d pass him every day going to class, say ‘hi’ and let him know we could use him,” Lance Robinson said. “He ended up coming to all our second semester games.”
Patrick Robinson witnessed Waubonsee’s bittersweet finish with a tough loss in the region final, followed by news the Chiefs (28-5) didn’t receive an at-large berth for the national tournament.
“Coach,” Patrick Robinson said he told Lance, “we’ll have to go undefeated then next year.”
To date, the Chiefs have come pretty close to winning them all.
Waubonsee dropped its season opener without Lance Robinson coaching because he had been ejected from that loss in the region final. The Chiefs, however, haven’t lost since that game.
The latest in a program-record 23-game winning streak came Tuesday night with a 96-82 victory over visiting Oakton at Sugar Grove.
Patrick Robinson didn’t play Tuesday, sidelined after rolling his ankle last Thursday in a 131-115 win over McHenry that set the program record for points in a game. He’s expected to return at 7:15 p.m. Thursday for an Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference game at Elgin.
How have the Chiefs done it?
It started with Lance Robinson receiving a bonus.
Christian Meeks, Patrick Robinson’s former teammate at Missouri-St. Louis, decided to join him and transfer to Waubonsee.
“It was like a package deal,” Lance said. “I knew if I could get one to come, I might get the other.”
Meeks, who redshirted his first year at Missouri-St. Louis, then saw limited minutes as a redshirt freshman and wasn’t happy with his situation either. The 6-5 forward and Homewood-Flossmoor graduate has emerged as the Chiefs’ scoring leader with a 15.2 average.
Meeks and H-F had gone head-to-head with Patrick Robinson and Oswego East as seniors in high school at the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic. It was the Wolves’ lone regular-season loss in a record-setting run that ended with a double-overtime loss to Bolingbrook in a sectional final.
“That’s my guy,” Patrick Robinson said of Meeks.
Robinson added he would be delighted if they could go to another four-year program together.
First things first, however.
Both are strong inside-out players who combine with two returning guards from last season to give Lance Robinson a strong core.
Shooting guard Zach Hayslett, who’s from Memphis, averages 14.9 points. Point guard Aboubacar Sidibe, who’s from Milwaukee, averages 12.3 points. Patrick Robinson follows at 10.9 points for the Chiefs, who have seven players averaging 8.4 points or more.
Waubonsee shares the ball and shoots the 3-pointer with equal efficiency. The Chiefs are ranked fourth nationally in averaging 21.4 assists and second nationally with 244 made 3-pointers.
Patrick Robinson is a prime example, and he and Meeks bring out the best in each other.
“Patrick is kind of like a big wing, so to speak,” Lance Robinson said. “He can score inside-out. He’s one of the best inside players in the area. He’s also shooting 35% from three, and he’s good at defensive positioning and some other things you wouldn’t notice unless you coach.
“When I put them on opposing sides in practice, the defensive intensity definitely picks up. They push each other.”
