Los Angeles ? More than once, Russell Robinson has been called the “glue” of Kansas University’s basketball team.
O.J. Mayo now knows why.
Robinson, the Jayhawks’ 6-foot-1, 205-pound guard from New York, stuck to Mayo – who is four inches taller but weighs the same – throughout the Jayhawks’ 59-55 victory at Galen Center.
“He is a pretty good player,” Robinson said of Mayo, who missed 15 of 21 shots and bricked eight of 11 3s, thanks in large part to Robinson, also referred to as the heart and soul of KU’s team.
“He can get his shot whenever, but I think the main thing today is he played all 40 minutes. He was tired at the end,” Robinson added.
Mayo did hoist some closely guarded, ill-advised treys.
“He settled for a lot of shots, a lot of 3s. That made my job easier,” Robinson said.
Robinson – he had five points and two steals with four turnovers and an assist – shook his head when asked if he studied reams of tape on Mayo leading up to the game.
“No more than anybody else,” Robinson said. “I’ve known him a long time, from my AAU days. I’ve seen him play a lot.”
So where does Mayo rank of all the guys he has guarded?
“He’s right up there. But today was not one of his better days,” Robinson said.
Two of KU’s big men had mixed feelings about Mayo.
“He’s just unbelievable,” said Sasha Kaun. “He can get any shot anytime he wants. Russell did a great job on him.”
KU forward Darnell Jackson, who grabbed a career-best 13 rebounds, noted: “He’s just a regular guy. I don’t see anything impressive about him.
“He’s a player. I respect him as a player. Other guys shouldn’t give him that much respect on the court because if you love to compete, go out there and compete against him.
“He’s just another player. He’s just like us. He puts on a jersey, a practice jersey, just like everybody else every day.”
Robinson guarded Mayo for 33 minutes. Rodrick Stewart and Mario Chalmers helped out during the times Robinson received a breather.