Mykasa Robinson changing Louisville's offense

Sophomore played a career-high 36 minutes in victory against Pittsburgh

Playing hard doesn’t necessarily equate to playing smart, but Mykasa Robinson has begun to do both. The sophomore started for the second time this season as Louisville women’s basketball defeated Pittsburgh 79-47 on Sunday.

Robinson, a 5-foot-7 guard, started in place of Dana Evans, who is recovering from an ankle injury. Robinson played a career-high 36 minutes, finishing with eight rebounds and eight assists.

Louisville coach Jeff Walz doesn’t worry about Robinson playing hard because her effort is always visible, but she has begun to balance her effort with smart play.

“She is starting to eliminate what I call fake hustle where you dive after a ball that you know you can’t get and then it turns into a layup on the other end,” Walz said. “She is eliminating those, which is important for her game.”

An increase in playing time has led to a rise in production for Robinson. She is averaging 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 22.1 minutes per game in her last 11 contests. Robinson’s impact comes from continual effort.

“The number of extra possessions that she gets us in a ball game is remarkable,” Walz said. “Her offensive rebounds, the number of balls she gets a hand on, she just never stops working.”

Without Evans against Pittsburgh, Robinson handled the point guard responsibilities for Louisville. Walz said Robinson ran the team great because she moved the ball.

Walz thought Louisville got more post touches against Pittsburgh than it has in a month because the ball reversed quickly.

“I thought at Pittsburgh she got the ball up the floor quicker than we have in the past seven or eight games,” Walz said. “That’s because she used the pass instead of the dribble.”

While Robinson is able to create scoring opportunities for teammates, Walz wants her to become a bigger scoring threat. She is averaging 2.5 points and shooting 46.4 percent from the field.

Robinson has the ability to drive into the lane and finish, but scoring opportunities will open up more as she develops a jumper.

“She continues to work on her 15-foot shot, that’s the only thing that is going to hold her back from being special because she passes the ball extremely well, she creates for others,” Walz said. “As soon as she can be consistent she is going to be really difficult to stop her.”