Adding to a nationally elite signing class, WKU men’s basketball head coach Rick Stansbury announced Tuesday the signing of five-star prospect Mitchell Robinson (7-0, Center) to a national letter of intent in the 2017 recruiting class.
Robinson, out of Chalmette (La.) High School, is far and away the highest-ranked signee for the Hilltoppers since the beginning of the modern recruiting services.
The big man is a consensus five-star recruit across all outlets and is ranked as the No. 4 prospect nationally in the 2017 class by 247Sports and No. 6 by both Rivals and Scout.
Along with fellow signee guards Josh Anderson and Taveion Hollingsworth, the newest Hilltoppers give WKU its first top-25 signing class in the modern era. With the trio, the Hilltoppers’ haul is currently ranked seventh by Rivals, 10th by Scout, and 12th by 247Sports.
247Sports rates Robinson as the top center prospect in the country and the No. 1 player out of Louisiana in the 2017 class.
Robinson is also the highest-ranked recruit ever signed by Stansbury, who produced five top-20 signing classes in a nine-year stretch during his 14-year tenure at the helm at Mississippi State.
“It’s obvious Mitchell is one of the most talented big guys in the country,” Stansbury said. “His best days all lie ahead of him. He has a lot more abilities than just running and jumping and blocking the ball. He has a skillset where he can step out and really shoot the basketball. We’re excited to have him and his family be a part of our program.”
Robinson heads to WKU with a reputation as a defensive force. He averaged 20.9 points, 13.6 rebounds, 8.1 blocks and 2.0 steals per game last season as a junior for Chalmette High School while shooting 69 percent from the floor.
Robinson also recorded eight triple doubles in 2015-16, racking up all-state and all-metro accolades on his way to leading the Owls to a 23-8 record and their second trip to the postseason since 2007.
Robinson was named to USA Today’s Preseason All-USA team in October and was recently labeled the best shot blocker in the nation in the 2017 class by Scout.
The dominant post presence also made a name for himself on the Nike EYBL AAU circuit.
Robinson averaged 15.5 points, 11.6 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game for Pro Skills last summer and was named second-team All-EYBL. At the Peach Jam championships, Robinson averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.6 blocks per outing. He averaged a 71.8 percent shooting clip from the floor across all EYBL games.