Justin Robinson hasn’t been in the spotlight much in his first two seasons at Duke, but he just got his moment.
Blue Devil head coach Mike Krzyzewski awarded the redshirt sophomore a scholarship for the 2017-18 season, and his teammates certainly didn’t miss the opportunity to shower him with shaving cream.
Senior guard Grayson Allen lurked in the corner with sunglasses on before Robinson walked in the locker room and was immediately swarmed by his entire team and slathered with cream—and later confetti. Sophomore forward Javin DeLaurier even brought out a water gun to blast Robinson with.
Robinson earned the 13th scholarship on Krzyzewski’s roster this season, according to 247Sports' Adam Rowe. He had also earned a scholarship for his redshirt 2015-16 season after joining the squad as a preferred walk-on. The son of NBA legend David Robinson didn't receive a scholarship last season to make room on the roster for Marques Bolden, but welcomed the opportunity this year.
“It was definitely a goal of mine,” Robinson said in the video. “It was an achievable goal, but I wasn't expecting it. It was just a huge honor.”
The 6-foot-9 forward played in six games last season, averaging 0.2 points and 0.2 rebounds per contest. One of Robinson's former teammates from 2015-16, Marshall Plumlee, who played in 21 games for the New York Knicks this season before being waived, jumped in on praising Robinson even though he wasn’t present.
“One of the best teammates I’ve ever had,” Plumlee said on Twitter. “Well deserved and 100% earned.”
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Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.