Kentucky Lands Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year in Jaxson Robinson
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year Jaxson Robinson has opted to follow his head coach for his final season of collegiate basketball and suit up for the Kentucky men’s basketball team in 2024-25, head coach Mark Pope announced on Friday.
Robinson was the Big 12’s best player off the bench for Pope and BYU a season ago, leading the Cougars in scoring at 14.2 points per game. The Ada, Oklahoma, native also contributed 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, while shooting 35.4% from 3-point range as the Cougars made the move to the Big 12. Picked to finish 13th in the league’s preseason polls, Robinson helped BYU to a fifth place showing that included wins over No. 7 Kansas, No. 11 Baylor and No. 24 Iowa State.
“Jaxson Robinson has been one of the most improved players in the country for two straight years and is barely scratching the surface of his potential,” Pope said. “His growth trajectory is incredible. He is an elite level shooter, is increasingly dangerous off the bounce and at the rim and has the potential to become a big-time playmaker. Jaxson guards with length and balance and understands how important it is to build strong relationships with his teammates. On a personal level, I’m so excited I get to finish his college journey with him in pursuit of Kentucky’s ninth national championship.”
The 6-foot-7 wing, has appeared in 96 collegiate contests and made 44 starts with stops at Texas A&M, Arkansas and BYU. With the Cougars, Robinson appeared in 66 games and made 36 starts, averaging 27.3 minutes per game. In two seasons, he averaged 11.4 points per game, shooting 41.0% from the floor, 34.9% from distance and 84.4% from the free-throw line.
Robinson scored in double-figures in 41 games for the Cougars, including five games with 20 or more. He capped his career with the third most 3-point field goals per game (2.11), the seventh most games with five or more 3s (5), the eighth longest 3-point streak (21), the 11th most games with three or more 3s (23) and the 15th most total 3-pointers (142).
Playing the best basketball of his career, Robinson averaged 14.2 points per game a year ago with BYU reaching double-digit points in 25 games. He tallied 25 points in the NCAA Tournament against Duquesne, 18 against Texas Tech in the Big 12 Tournament, 18 in the upset win of Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse, 17 in a home victory over Texas and 23 against eventual Final Four participant NC State.
In arguably BYU’s six most notable victories a season ago, Robinson averaged 16.8 points and shot 41.5% from 3-point range, while sinking 16 of 17 free throws. Those wins included Kansas, Baylor, Texas, Iowa State, San Diego State and NC State.
Throughout his career, Robinson has improved year-to-year. He began his collegiate career at Texas A&M in 2020-21 where he played in 14 games and made four starts for the Aggies. Robinson averaged 2.1 points per game and made 35.5% of his field-goal attempts. As a sophomore, Robinson posted 3.4 points per game in 16 appearances for Arkansas. He connected at 38.0% from the field and 32.6% from distance.
He joined Pope and BYU beginning in 2022-23. As a junior, Robinson posted per game averages of 8.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists, while shooting 38.6% from the field and 34.8% from 3-point range. Robinson upped his shooting percentages as a senior to 42.6% from the field, 35.4% from long range and 90.8% from the charity stripe.
In all, Robinson has tallied 42 double-figure scoring games, has drained multiple 3-pointers in 43 contests and dished out three or more assists 17 times.
Robinson was a four-star prospect out of Ada High School and was ranked No. 62 nationally by 247Sports. He was previously a top 50 recruit in the 2021 class before reclassifying to the 2020 signing class. Robinson helped Ada High School to a 21-6 record and the Class 4A State Tournament after averaging 15.4 points, 5.6 boards and 2.5 assists per game as a junior. He played for Team Griffin in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League and captured the 2019 16U championship at the Nike Peach Jam.
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