Morgan Robinson, the nation’s Division II leader in assists, is making history at Jefferson

Head coach Tom Shirley told Morgan Robinson the same witty tale he relates to every guard who comes through the program when she arrived at Jefferson in 2019.

Every Robinson turnover or ill-fated pass was followed by a reminder from Shirley that the program’s assist record was never going to be broken.

“I would always say, ‘Marybeth Rogers has it, she’s going to keep it, relax,’” Shirley said.

Rogers’ career 654 assists have stood at Jefferson since she graduated in 1984. In his first 33 seasons as head coach of the Rams, Shirley didn’t see a player come close to that record.

Then came Robinson, a 5-foot-9 point guard from Kingsway Regional High School in South Jersey who was determined to prove her coach wrong.

“Whenever you turn the ball over, he was like there’s a 40-year record, you’ll never break that record,” Robinson said. “I was like, I’m going to take that challenge.”

Robinson entered her senior season with 545 career helpers, which ranked third on the all-time list and put the record well within reach. She passed Rogers’ 40-year-old mark on Jan. 6 with a win over Dominican and has continued to add to it. currently sitting at 718.

1989 graduate Terry Coleman (592) and 1998 graduate Monica Sortino (526) are the only other Rams with more than 500 career assists.

After ranking second in Division II in assists per game last season (averaging 7.4), Robinson topped that this season, becoming the assist leader in the nation with 8.2 assists.

“I don’t know where the skill set came from because my family, they’re all shooters,” Robinson said. “But I think I was always a pass-first point guard. I’m happy when my teammates are scoring and I want to put them in a position to score. I was always big for the flashy passes or getting to the lane. People would stop me or double-team me and I’d get an assist.”

She can do more than just pass though. Robinson is averaging 8.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.3 steals this season.

She’s 54 points away from joining the 1,000-point club, and her 270-career steals place her third all-time in program history.

“Historically we’ve had more of a traditional point guard,” Shirley said. “Get us up the floor, get us into a set, score six or seven points, facilitate, but no one of her versatility.”

» READ MORE: Episcopal Academy’s Natalie Magnotta, a dual-sport athlete, caps final season on the hardwood

Robinson’s father, Marcus, played at Coppin State. Her older brother, Marcus Jr., also played at Kingsway before a career at Wilkes University.

Robinson grew up playing with her older brother and his friends at Kingsway. Her high basketball IQ came naturally, she said. It was what caught Shirley’s attention when he first watched Robinson play in high school.

“I remember she was really crafty, she could flick the ball, she could underhand the ball,” Shirley said. “And the biggest thing about her was her perception. … I just thought this was a kid that we can build on.”

After Robinson averaged 5.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.7 steals as a freshman, the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the Rams’ 2020-21 season. She returned a year later for her sophomore campaign and averaged 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists (third in Division II), and 2.5 steals.

Robinson was a first team All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference selection as a junior last season, averaging 10.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists, and has continued to master Shirley’s offense.

“I kind of caught on real quickly,” Robinson said. “Like being a point guard in high school, I knew I should know the plays and know everyone else’s position as well as my own. It just kind of clicked. Coach will ask me what play you want to run, and we’ll both come up with the same play or I’ll be thinking of it and he’ll say it.”

Her teammates also had to get used to her knowing the plays so well.

“A big word is anticipation,” Robinson said. “I can see something or see my teammates see it. They’ll make the cut and I’ll just get them the ball. With the play sets, everyone knows where they need to be, and I know where everyone should be. It’s easy to create opportunities and get them the ball.”

Robinson entered the program alongside another special player in senior forward Haley Meinel (a graduate of Central Bucks South), and they were joined a year later by junior wing Sam Yencha and junior forward Cassie Murphy during the COVID-canceled 2020-21 campaign, two others who are leaving their marks at Jefferson.

“My sophomore year, that’s when I realized we had an opportunity to build because we had five freshmen coming in,” Robinson said. “With us being with each other each year, we would progress and get stronger, work together, and get stronger as a team — just build on each year.”

» READ MORE: They played here. Now, these three Big 5 coaches are working to ‘keep Philadelphia basketball on the map’

Robinson and Meinel were part of a 20-11 CACC championship team during their first year. With Yencha and Murphy also along for the ride in 2021-22, the Rams finished 24-9 and lost in the league title game before reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Last season, the Rams were even better, going 28-5 (16-1 CACC). Despite falling in the CACC semifinals, they made a run to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1986.

At 20-1 and 10-0 in the CACC, the Rams hope to go deep in the postseason.

“This team is mentally committed to going back,” Shirley said. “It’s not about the number of wins we get. It’s about winning the games that get us there.

“Now I got to say, ‘Morgan Robinson has it, relax.’

This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.