Robinson-Earl nose how to play with a mask
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl knew his nose was broken as soon as it happened in the Butler game Wednesday night. Villanova’s 6-9 sophomore forward had been down this road before.
“I’ve done it before,” Robinson-Earl said. “I broke my nose in like the eighth grade.”
Robinson-Earl also knew the injury was not going to keep him out of action and that he did not need to be fitted for the clear plastic protective face covering that he wore in Saturday night’s 88-68 victory over Saint Joseph’s in the Holy War at the Finneran Pavilion.
“The mask I was wearing was from eighth grade so it’s one I’ve already worn before,” he said.
Robinson-Earl did not have the mask tucked away in a closet in his dorm room just in case, but he knew his mother, Katie Robinson, did have it stashed away and she just happens to live in the area. She was way ahead of her son.
“When it happened she was like, ‘ He’s going to need his mask, where is it?’” Robinson-Earl said. “She’s good at remembering things and she went right into a close or into a basket and dropped it off.
obinson-Earl has grown a bit since the last time he wore that mask so it took him a little while to get used to it. He fidgeted with it several times early in the contest and even lifted it up on his forehead several times.
“It gets a little sweaty and readjusting it, making it a little tighter,” Robinson-Earl said. “When you’re playing its all good, but when those timeouts and deadball possessions you’re kind of able to fix it up real quick.”
Once he found the right fit, though, there was no stopping him. Robinson-Earl poured in 25 points, three shy of his career high, pulled down seven rebounds and handed out a career-high six assists in 33 minutes to lead the seventh-ranked Wildcats
(7-1) to their ninth straight win over the Hawks (0-4) and their seventh in a row by double digits.
“It’s different, for sure,” Robinson-Earl said of playing with the mask, “but you’re so concentrated on the task at hand, it doesn’t really both you as much as it might look.”
Robinson-Earl shot 8-for
14 overall, 2-for-5 from
3-point range and 7-for
10 from the field. He also blocked a shot, made a steal and did not commit a foul.
He was at his best in the second half, scoring 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting to help the Wildcats pull away.
Villanova coach Jay Wright wasn’t surprised.
“He went back into game against Butler without the mask, with cotton stuffed up his nose so you’re looking to see how does he play?” Wright said “He played fearless so I wasn’t worried about a mask because he finished that game with cotton up his nose and didn’t shy away from any contact.”
NOTES» Swingman Brandon Slater left the game with 7:20 left in the first half with what Wright called back spasms. The 6-6 junior Slater fell hard to the floor trying to block and alley-oop pass in the first half. Slater played just three minutes did not return. “He was going to try in the second half, but then we didn’t need him so we didn’t want to push it,” Wright said.”
In women’s basketball action Sunday:
TEMPLE 73, SMU 57 » Mia Davis led three players in double with 22 points to pace the Owls to their first win of the year. The senior forward also pulled down a season-high 15 rebounds to post her second double-double of the season.
Alexa Williamson added
15 points and Emani Mayo
11 for Temple (1-3 overall, 1-0 American Athletic).