From D3 to Big Ten

New England Recruiting Report | Tuesday, August 5th, 2014

Former Governors Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy, and Middlesex Magic forward Duncan Robinson made an almost unprecedented commitment on Wednesday night, announcing that he would transfer from division III Williams College to the University of Michigan.  

Robinson is a classic late bloomer.  He was barely six-foot-six and 177 pounds when he graduated from Governors Academy in the spring of 2012 and has since added two inches and 25 pounds of muscle.  

It was that spring, when he starred for the Magic on the AAU circuit, that Robinson first started showing signs of taking his game to another level.  That progression hit a brief bump in the road as he played through some back pain during the summer evaluation period, but incredibly he landed only one scholarship offer, from division II Merrimack.

Williams head coach Mike Maker made Robinson a top priority throughout the summer and ultimately earned his commitment in the fall.  

Only months later it was becoming more and more evident what a steal Robinson was at the division III level.  He was getting bigger, stronger, and more confident on an almost daily basis and was absolutely dominant down the stretch of the season in leading Exeter to the NEPSAC Class A championship.  

That escalation only continued during his freshman year at Williams.  Ideally suited for Maker’s system because of his high skill level and intellect for the game, Robinson thrived from day one and emerged into one of the top D3 players in the country by the end of his freshman season, leading Williams to the national championship game in the process.  

With Robinson back in the fold Williams was widely projected to be the pre-season favorite for next year’s division III national title until Maker accepted a similar position at Marist, a division I school in the MAAC.  

With his head coach departed, Robinson began to considering transferring.  He ultimately ended up with interest from a variety of high-major schools before visiting Davidson and Michigan within the last seven days.  

His commitment to Michigan came shortly after the conclusion of his visit but only after he had the opportunity to personally call his Williams’ teammates and new head coach Kevin App.

Now, he essentially becomes another member of Michigan’s incoming recruiting class.  He’ll have to sit out next season due to NCAA transfer rules but will then have three years of eligibility beginning in his sophomore season.