Thomas Robinson has had one of the worst months imaginable.
As you well know, he lost his grandmother, grandfather, and mother since December. Its tragic, and if it doesn’t tug at your heart strings to hear a story like that, then you have no soul.
Knowing that, what Robinson did today has to make you feel good.
In ESPN’s Gameday game, No. 6 Kansas clobbered the Kansas Sate Wildcats, 90-66. The Jayhawks jumped out to a 15-2 lead and Frank Martin’s team was never able to make the game interesting after that. The Jayhawks shot 61.5% from the floor. The Morrii combined for 30 points and 18 rebounds. Tyshawn Taylor made life a living hell for Jacob Pullen, who finished with 21 points but needed 22 shots to do it.
None of that mattered, however.
Neither did the 17 points and nine rebounds that Robinson put up.
What mattered was the way that the Kansas crowd reacted to Robinson.
When he first checked into the game, every single person in Phog Allen Fieldhouse stood and cheered. Every time he scored, the building went crazy. And when he left the court with about a minute left, the ovation that the Kansas crowd gave him left tears in my eyes.
In a situation like this, there is nothing that you can say to make Thomas Robinson feel better. All you can do is show him that there are people that care about him and that care about his family’s well being.
Kansas fans did just that today.
And I’m sure it meant the world to that young man.
Consider this my standing ovation for the Jayhawk faithful.
Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @ballinisahabit.