LaChina Robinson

LaChina Robinson is a basketball analyst who calls college basketball games for ESPN, BTN, Fox Sports 1, FS South, and CSS before CSS closed its doors. She is also the analyst for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA and calls select WNBA games for ESPN and NBATV.[1]

Early life

Robinson comes from a family where there weren't many female athletes. However she desired to be involved with sports. After a flirtation with cheerleading, Robinson decided to try out basketball since she loved the pace while watching games.[2] A size of 6'4" certainly would help her cause, but experience would be needed.[3]

While basketball proved to be hard for Robinson, she stuck with it and became an AAU member her senior year of high school. Her experience earned her a scholarship to Wake Forest University where she would play for four seasons under Charlene Curtis. Over her four-year career Robinson played in 112 games, 95 of which she started. Robinson found herself in elite company as she went on to rank third in school history with blocks (77) and 15th in rebounds (475).[4]

Broadcasting

After playing her four years of college, Robinson joined the ACC administration offices for one full season before heading to Georgia Tech where she served as a special assistant to the head coach, director of operations, and administrative assistant in charge of recruiting over a number of years. No matter what task she had, Robinson chose to travel with the team.[1] While on the road, Robinson typically would watch the game from the bench until Georgia Tech approached her about being the analyst for their radio broadcasts. Robinson accepted the challenge, and quickly fell in love with broadcasting.[2]

In 2009 Robinson was contacted by ESPN. The network needed an analyst for its Maggie Dixon Classic coverage, and officials there thought Robinson would fulfill their needs. Robinson accepted, and it wasn't long before she realized she was covering Brittney Griner in her freshman year, Pat Summit, and Vivian Stringer. The 2009 Maggie Dixon Classic field featured Tennessee vs. Rutgers and Baylor vs. Boston College from historic Madison Square Garden. Robinson's part of the broadcast proved to be a success, and she soon found herself working games as an analyst or a sideline reporter three to four times a week.

2010 would be Robinson's first full season of serving as an analyst for ESPN and Fox Sports South. Robinson would call games all the way until the Final Four for ESPN.[5] Since then Robinson has become one of the leading analyst for women's basketball. 2013 found Robinson covering the first ever primetime WNBA broadcast on ESPN,[6] and she was given the responsibility of covering the Women's Final Four for Turner Sports.[3] Robinson's career is only expected to continue to grow.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "LaChina Robinson: Color Analyst".
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Getting To Know: LaChina Robinson".
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Women’s History Month: 10 Questions with LaChina Robinson, ESPN Women’s Basketball Analyst".
  4. ↑ "LaChina Robinson: Player Profile- Wake Forest" (PDF).
  5. ↑ "LaChina Robinson: Analyst".
  6. ↑ "Former Deacon LaChina Robinson parlays basketball experience into television career".
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