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From now until the WNBA draft on April 11, 2011, Swish Appeal will be providing you with information, quotes and audio clips on some of the top prospects. We hope you enjoy them, and they help you prepare for the new crop of WNBA players entering the league this summer!
Sherri Coale, the Head Coach at Oklahoma, has had some great competitors over the years, from Stacey Dales to Courtney and Ashley Paris, but it is her 2nd team AP All-American point guard, Danielle Robinson, that she talks about with the praise in our title.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
At 5'9 and being incredibly quick with and without the ball, Danielle Robinson would be an intriguing selection for a team in need of a true point guard. She is deceptively strong for her frame, and has shown an ability to get into the lane and either score or dish throughout her career. She improved on her change of speed play this season, but needs to control that speed a little more still.
STATISTICAL STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES
- Increased her scoring from from 12.2 ppg as a freshman, to 12.9 (sophomore), 16.8 (junior) and 18.3 ppg (senior)
- Increased her assists per game from 4.2 as a freshman to 5.1 as a senior
- One of four women in college basketball history to total 2,000 points, 700 assists & 300 steals in a career.
- Led Oklahoma to three straight Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA tournament
- Assist to turnover ratio is only 1.32
- Shot only 28% from 3-point range this season
STRAIGHT FROM THE PLAYER'S MOUTH
Coach Coale constantly emphasizes the fact that Danielle is one of those players that works hard to improve her game, and takes criticism extremely well. She spent last offseason working on her game, and that included time with the USA Select team playing with the Senior national team. In fact, prior to being sidelined with an ankle injury, Coach Geno Auriemma had Danielle playing WITH the Senior national team, not just against it.
Dishin & Swishin: Danielle Robinson on her offseason work & playing with USA basketball
A California girl transplanted for school to Oklahoma, Danielle is excited about the WNBA, and wouldn't mind going home (LA Sparks) or playing in Oklahoma some more (Tulsa Shock). Both teams could use her point guard skills.
Dishin & Swishin: Danielle Robinson on Playing in the WNBA
WHAT THE COACHES SAY
This past season, with Robinson at the helm, Sherri Coale basically transformed Oklahoma from an inside team during the Paris years to an outside shooting team. The hard work, the improved leadership and decision making, and the speed and quickness of her point guard made it all possible, and another trip to the Sweet 16.
Dishin & Swishin: Sherri Coale on Danielle Robinson
A former outstanding point guard herself, Ohio State assistant coach Debbie Black keeps an eye on those point guards out there, and likes what she has seen about Danielle's game. There is need for improvement in some areas of course, but there is always a place for speed and quickness.
Dishin & Swishin: Debbie Black on Danielle Robinson
"The thing that I most appreciate about D Rob is the fact that she is confident enough to be coached every day. Criticism doesn't kill her, it only makes her better. She values praise, but she benefits from criticism because she wants to get better. When she makes mistakes, when she plays a sub-par game before I even get to my phone I have a text message that says what time can we get film tomorrow."
WHAT THE BROADCASTERS SAY
Dishin & Swishin: ESPN's Rosalyn Gold-Onwude on Danielle Robinson