The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Thursday, February 28, 2019 — 7

Kayla and Kevin Robbins, and the power of Michigan women’s basketball

Sunday’s 
game 
against 
Michigan State was big for a 
lot of reasons for the Michigan 
women’s basketball team. Chief 
among them was a desire for 
revenge after the Wolverines’ 
77-73 defeat in January. But 
for Kayla Robbins, it was even 
bigger.
“I’m trying to get a win for 
the team,” the junior forward 
said before the game. “But if 
I could have some bragging 
rights back home that would be 
amazing.”
Robbins — who has been one 
of Michigan’s key contributors 
during the season’s stretch 
run — is the daughter of Kevin 
Robbins, 
a 
star 
offensive 
lineman 
for 
the 
Spartans’ 
football team from 1987-88. 
The Los Angeles Rams drafted 
him in the third round of the 
1989 NFL Draft, after which 
he played three seasons with 
the them and the Cleveland 
Browns.
As a third rounder, Robbins 
had to work hard to earn his 
spot on an NFL roster, just as 
he did when he arrived in East 
Lansing as a transfer student 
from Wichita State. His hard 
work helped him carve out a 
three-year stint in the league, 
and 
his 
determination 
is 
something that he passed onto 
his daughter when she began 
playing sports at a competitive 
level.
“Work extra hard — more 
than anyone else out there — to 
accomplish your goals,” he told 
her.
As 
Robbins 
continued 
to develop, she excelled in 
basketball, 
where 
Kevin 
quickly realized that she had 
immense potential. Despite her 
father’s athletic background, 
Robbins didn’t see Kevin as a 
football player and admitted 
that 
she 
didn’t 
realize 
her 
father’s 
connection 
to 
Michigan State at a young age.
“My family were MSU fans 
but I didn’t understand the 
closeness they had with college 
and stuff,” she said. “I guess 

you could say I was a Spartans 
fan.”
Even if she was a Michigan 
State fan, it became clear 
during Robbins’ recruitment 
process that there was one 
school in particular that was 
right for her: Michigan. Despite 
being his alma mater’s in-state 
rival, Kevin was thrilled.
“It’s real simple: Michigan 
was there for Kayla through 
thick and thin throughout the 
recruiting process,” he said. 
“It’s a major school in the Big 
Ten, and any time you get that 
opportunity it’s always a great 
thing.”
Kevin was thrilled to tell his 
friends about his daughter’s 
accomplishment. But it took 
some time to register with one 
friend in particular.

“One of Dad’s friends called 
me 
after 
my 
commitment 
and basically said, ‘You’re a 
Spartan!’ ” Robbins recalls. 
“He assumed because he heard 
Michigan that I was going to 
MSU. Until he realized I was 
playing in the maize and blue, 
then he finally called my dad 
and was so confused. But he 
was happy for me.”
While Kevin’s friend took 
some time to adjust to Kayla 
representing the Wolverines 
on the court, Kevin quickly 
jumped on the bandwagon.
“He wasn’t used to being in 
the maize and blue,” Robbins 
said. “But now he loves it.”
While 
Kevin’s 
allegiance 
may have changed, he still sees 
one familiar sight when he 
watches his daughter play: his 

own competitive spirit.
In Robbins’ third season, 
she has played some of the 
best basketball of her career, 
averaging a career-best 6.2 
points 
per 
game 
and 
3.5 
rebounds. 
With 
extended 
minutes during the Big Ten 
season, she has emerged as one 
of the team’s key contributors. 
Of course, Kevin has done 
his part and even managed to 
convert his Spartan friends 
into Wolverines.
Kevin recalled that earlier 
this year, he went with some 
Michigan 
State 
friends 
to watch Robbins and the 
Wolverines play a road game 
against Maryland. While they 
were still Spartans at heart, 
his friends turned up ready to 
support Robbins along with 

their longtime friend. That 
being said, they couldn’t bring 
themselves to wear maize and 
blue.
On 
Sunday, 
when 
the 
Wolverines finally traveled to 
East Lansing for their rematch 
against the Spartans, there 
was no question where Kevin’s 
allegiance would lie.
When 
the 
dust 
finally 
settled, 
Michigan 
State 
emerged victorious, 74-64, on 
Sunday afternoon, sweeping 
the season series and handing 
Michigan its first loss since 
Jan. 27. But Kevin won’t be 
using his bragging rights. The 
rivalry isn’t as serious as some 
might think in their home.
“For her, it’s not really a 
rivalry,” he said. “She doesn’t 
look at me as a Spartan.”

Now 
back 
home 
in 
Washington, D.C., Kevin says 
that he continues to rock the 
maize and blue even when he 
isn’t attending Robbins’ games. 
That stems from his pride in his 
daughter’s success and impact.
He sees his heart and hustle 
in her, even if she may be 
wearing 
unfamiliar 
colors. 
Even though it may be a school 
that many members of his alma 
mater love to hate, Kevin has 
nothing but love for Michigan.
“You know what, I feel 
like it’s a very fortunate and 
blessed situation for Kayla to 
be playing D-1 basketball at 
the highest level at the number 
one public school in the world,” 
Kevin said. “It’s definitely 
a good thing and I’m very 
blessed.”

TEDDY GUTKIN
Daily Sports Writer

I

n the moments after Sun-
day’s loss to Michigan 
State, a frustrated Isaiah 
Livers made 
his rounds 
through the 
Michigan 
locker room, 
approaching 
each team-
mate with a 
trio of ques-
tions.
What’s 
your goal?
What’s 
your motive?
What’s going on up there?
That type of overt leadership 
may seem out of place to any-
body who knows the sophomore 
forward. His most prominent 
postgame role is typically that 
of Jordan Poole’s sidekick — the 
radiant personality who fills 
any room with smiles. He rarely 
serves as an outward leader, 
a role mostly filled by Zavier 
Simpson and Charles Matthews.
But Sunday evening, Livers 
found himself in an all-too-
familiar situation. Just last year, 
the Wolverines endured similar 
February struggles, needing 
overtime to escape Minnesota at 
home and losing at Northwest-
ern. That was when the switch 
flipped for Michigan. After the 
loss to Northwestern, it didn’t 
lose again until the National 
Championship Game two 
months later.
“Everybody put their side 
agendas aside and played Michi-
gan basketball,” Livers said 
Wednesday. “I think that was 
the biggest step we made going 
in from late February into March 
when we got hot. Everybody 
put their — everybody stopped 
thinking about after the season, 
everybody was thinking about, 
we’re here now. We’re not gonna 
think about the future.”
This time around, though, the 
February surge that coach John 
Beilein’s teams typically exhibit 
has been reluctant to arrive.
The Wolverines, who paraded 

through their early-season slate 
with a world-beating sashay, 
know they’re not maximizing 
the potential that they displayed 
months ago. When asked where 
they have improved since early 
in the season, Matthews paused, 
futilely searching for answers 
before falling back on the cliché 
that they, “just continue to get 
better each and every day.”
The evidence disagrees. 
Michigan’s offense averaged 
73.2 points per game before the 
new year. In January, that fig-
ure dropped to 68.5. With one 
game to play in February, it sits 
at 67.1. On the other side of the 
ball, the Wolverines have gone 
from allowing just 57.9 points 
per game in January — the first 
month of Big Ten play — to 65.0 
this month.
“We didn’t have that fat L 
that a November loss is, cause 
we were 19-0,” Livers said. “So 
we kinda had to learn the harder 
way, in our conference, which 
kinda sucks.”
So Livers, remembering the 
Wolverines’ mid-season down-
falls a year ago, wanted to snuff 
out the type of distractions 
that hampered them then. But 
in the days since Sunday’s loss, 
he has found nothing but focus 
on Nebraska, Michigan’s next 
opponent.
And therein lies the problem. 
The struggles — at least rela-
tive to early in the season — are 
unanimously agreed upon. Solu-
tions aren’t, leading everybody 

to float their own theory.
“Just focus on the next day 
at task,” Matthews said. “We 
went on a run like that in March 
because we were just trying to 
win the day, each and every day. 
And we wasn’t getting too far 
ahead of ourselves. So if we can 
just stay in the moment, we’ll be 
good.”
But according to Livers’ 
postgame accounts, that isn’t a 
problem. Instead, he pins the 
struggles on Michigan losing the 
same voracious attitude that it 
had against Villanova and North 
Carolina. Against Michigan 
State, though, the Wolverines 
were clearly locked in from the 
tip in an electrifying opening 
half, but still fell, 77-70.
“It would be great to have 
everybody (on at the same 
time),” Beilein said. “But that’s 
been the biggest mystery so far.”
As Beilein finishes a 22-min-
ute presser rife with questions 
about the Wolverines’ recent 
struggles, he makes sure to fin-
ish with one final point.
“If you’re still competing for 
a Big Ten championship and it’s 
almost damn March, you’re hav-
ing a heck of a year.”
To make a Big Ten title — or 
any of its other goals — reality, 
Michigan has to rediscover the 
early season form that put it here 
in the first place.

Mackie can be reached on 

Twitter @theo_mackie or via 

email at tmackie@umich.edu.

For seniors, a long, worthwhile path

Nick Boka and Joseph Cecconi 
found themselves at crossroads 
to start their junior years.
After dishing out 10 assists 
and 
finishing 
plus-17 
as 
a 
freshman 
defenseman, 
Boka 
saw his production fall off a 
cliff the next year, scoring two 
total points. Beyond that, his 
confidence was shot. Those 
around him acknowledged his 
pedigree but Boka still knew 
himself that something wasn’t 
right.
With so much uncertainty, 
he faced a tall task as a junior. 
Fast forward to Senior Night 
last Saturday, and Boka skated 
around Yost Ice Arena, waving 
the 
Michigan 
flag 
proudly, 
completely sure of his ability and 
the culture he made.
Ask Boka how he improved, 
and he’ll point to one person in 
particular — Greg Harden. Once 
Michigan coach Mel Pearson and 
company took over, volunteer 
assistant coach Steve Shields sat 
down with Boka, and noticing 
his lack of confidence, directed 
him to the sports psychologist.
Though he was hesitant at 
first, Boka diligently met with 
Harden every week, honing in on 
different aspects of his mental 
game and bringing a more 
intense mindset to each practice.
“I didn’t know what I was 
getting myself into,” Boka said. 
“And it’s honestly been life 
changing, I can’t thank Shields 
enough for setting me up with 
him. I can’t thank Greg enough. 
He’s been there with me through 
the ups and the downs every 
single week.”
At this point, those meetings 
don’t entail working on much. 
More often than not, Boka goes 
in and talks about whatever he 
wants to with Harden, hockey-
related or not. Having that peace 
of mind, in the end, is how Boka 
found the confidence to step in 
as a leader, even before Michigan 
named him an alternate captain 

this season.
“Last year I tried to be a 
leader even without a letter on 
my jersey, and a lot of players 
did, which is why we had such 
a special team last year and why 
we did what we did,” Boka said. “ 
… There’s always going to be the 
voice in the locker room when 
someone thinks something isn’t 
going right or needs to step up. 
We have the ability to step up 
and talk to whoever needs to be 
pulling their weight.”
Cecconi helped build that 
air of accountability, too — 
albeit from a different place. 
Production wasn’t an issue for 
Cecconi. He was named to the 
USA World Juniors team during 
his sophomore year. When Red 
Berenson retired as Michigan’s 
hockey coach at the end of 
the year, though, so did the 
defenseman’s main reason for 
committing to the Wolverines.
As soon as he met Pearson, 
Cecconi went to work. Having 
been named an alternate captain, 
he worked with Pearson, captain 
Tony Calderone and the rest of 
the alternate captains to ensure 
that the Wolverines had their 
priorities set on hockey over 
anything else every day.
In turn, Cecconi became the 
team captain his senior year, but 
there was still a steep learning 
curve. When Michigan struggled 
to pick up wins this year, it 
forced the senior defenseman 
to become even more of a vocal 

presence in the locker room than 
before.
“It was not like I stepped in 
and was the best captain possible 
at the time,” Cecconi said. “I’ve 
learned a lot on how to be better. 
There wasn’t just one instance, 
but it was gradually building up. 
I feel much more comfortable 
speaking to the locker room or 
on the ice.”
Boka and Cecconi had every 
opportunity to give up and 
quit — the Minnesota Wild and 
the Dallas Stars, respectively, 
drafted them in the fifth round 
of the 2015 NHL draft. Cecconi 
had the option to sign with 
Dallas last summer yet eschewed 
it for a chance to further define 
the culture he helped start. 
Likewise, Boka chose to come 
back to Michigan to see if he 
could keep that night-to-night 
consistency.
While it seems unlikely that 
Michigan 
makes 
that 
same 
Frozen Four run, Senior Night 
let the two leaders reap the 
rewards of their hard work for 
a brief moment before one final 
push.
“I didn’t think that I was 
going to get too emotional,” 
Cecconi said. “But it really hit me 
after the game when they were 
playing the tributes of Brendan 
(Warren) and Nick (Boka), then 
myself, I teared up a little bit. 
How did this happen?
“How did four years go by this 
fast?”

KEEMYA ESMAEL/Daily
Junior forward Kayla Robbins committed to the Wolverines despite her father, Kevin, playing football at Michigan State. Kevin now dons maize and blue despite his prior loyalties, due to his pride for Kayla.

RIAN RATNAVALE
Daily Sports Writer

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Redshirt junior wing Charles Matthews has been a leader for Michigan.

ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
Senior defenseman Nick Boka improved with the help of Greg Harden.

Amid struggles, ‘M’ looks for solution

THEO
MACKIE

