Unhappy Robinson Leaves New Mexico

Sophomore point guard John Robinson, unhappy with the amount of playing time he was getting under new New Mexico Coach Fran Fraschilla, quit a day after the Lobos’ 70-68 upset of No. 3-ranked Arizona in Tucson.

Robinson apparently will transfer to another Division I school for the spring semester. If he does, he will be eligible to play for that school after the fall semester of 2000. His father, John Robinson Sr., said the schools that his son was considering included Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas and Houston.

Robinson was a starter most of last season, when New Mexico was coached by Dave Bliss--now at Baylor. Robinson averaged 10.2 points and 4.8 assists to help the Lobos go 25-9 and reach the second round of the NCAA tournament.

This season, however, Robinson is averaging four points and two assists, playing 16 minutes a game as a backup to freshman Marlon Parmer, Fraschilla’s first recruit after he was hired as New Mexico coach in late March.

Robinson was also expected to face competition next season from Ruben Douglas, a former starter at Arizona who plans to transfer to New Mexico.

“I don’t want to leave, but I feel like I have to,” Robinson told the Albuquerque Journal. “I love everything about Albuquerque: the school, a lot of friends, my teammates, playing in the Pit--I even like the coaches a lot. I just feel like playing-wise, I’m not going to get a chance.”

Said Fraschilla: “I’m more disappointed because our agreement was we would evaluate John’s status at the end of the season.”