Robbins deserves Hall berth

The jerseys hang from the ceiling, above mid-court, impossible to miss. They honor six of the great players in men's basketball history at Virginia Union University.

Off in the corner, obscured by a support beam and out of sight of more than half the people in the stands, is a placard commemorating the career of Dave Robbins. The sign is not small, but you have to look for it to see it.

Robbins coached four of the players Charles Oakley, Terry Davis, A.J. English and Ben Wallace and the first VUU national championship team, the 1980 squad, honored last night during the game with Lincoln University.

Robbins much prefers that the players get the attention while he works in the background.

The men's basketball tradition at Virginia Union is among the most impressive in the country. The Panthers have set the standard of excellence for Division II for decades, and players such as those honored last night are a significant reason.

But Robbins has had something to do with that as well.

Robbins retired after last season. He spent 30 years as the Panthers' head coach, had a 713-194 record, three Division II national championships, 21 NCAA tournament appearances and 14 CIAA tournament championships.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

So far, it hasn't been enough to get Robbins into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

On Friday, for the third consecutive year, Robbins' name was not among the 16 former players and coaches selected for consideration for the class of 2009.

"He definitely he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame," Wallace said. "I know if you talk to him, that type of stuff doesn't concern or bother him."

Wallace plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is in Richmond during the NBA all-star break and was present for last night's halftime ceremony. He knows his former coach well.

When the list of potential Basketball Hall of Fame members was read to Robbins last night he organized the festivities and had been too busy to pay attention to news about himself Robbins nodded his head in agreement.

"If my name had been in there, it would have stuck out like sore thumb," Robbins said. "People would have said, 'Who is that guy?' There are so many great coaches who aren't in, I'm embarrassed even to have my name mentioned about ever going into the Hall of Fame."

Terry Davis also was at last night's game. Davis came to the Panthers from South Boston in 1985. When he finished his college career, he went to the NBA, where he played 10 seasons.

"I came here as a little boy, and coach Robbins taught me to be a man," Davis said. "He taught me to work hard, that life was not going to give me anything.

"He was hard on me. But he stuck with me, and allowed me to be the type of player I wanted to be. I'm thankful I got the opportunity to play for a coach like him, old school, hard-nosed , very disciplined in everything he did. It carried me to the next level."

As Davis said this, Robbins was scurrying about, greeting players from the 1980 team, showing them to their seats and making sure the VIP guests had parking spots.

As a coach, Robbins believed in attending to the details. He hasn't changed in retirement.

"He doesn't just coach you on the basketball court," Wallace said. "He's willing to do whatever he can for you, whether it's helping you become a better player or helping you become a better person.

"Even if you've got a pipe leaking at your house, he's willing to come over and help. He helps me with things like that all the time. He establishes a connection that is going to last a lifetime."

At its next opportunity, the selection committee should make the connection that Robbins belongs in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or .