Milwaukee Bucks: Get to know center Robin Lopez
By Adam McGee
College
Having been exposed to the full superstar treatment due to their size during their final years at San Joaquin Memorial High School, Brook and Robin opted to follow in their mother’s footsteps and both commit to Stanford for their college careers.
Both boasting near-4.0 GPAs upon their arrival, the twins were exceptional students, although Brook did briefly find himself in academic hot water for forgetting to press send on a term paper.
From a basketball perspective, the perimeter skills that have come to the fore more recently in Brook’s game over the past couple of years were evident enough for him to take up the power forward spot back in his college days. For Robin, his fit as a more traditional hard-nosed center was already obvious, too.
Having modeled his game on Tim Duncan, Patrick Ewing and David Robinson, Robin’s physicality and defensive focus earned him the nickname of “Beast” in his time as a Cardinal.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated in February 2008, Robin’s then teammate, Kenny Brown, described him as follows:
"“Robin is the [twin] who is more likely to dunk because he’s so ferocious and tenacious,” Brown says. “He’s particularly impressive in making blocks from the help side.” On offense, adds Johnson, “Robin’s not polished or as confident as Brook, but he is very capable. Quite frankly, I’d like him to be more selfish.”"
Kevin Love, then of UCLA, also described the experience of going up against the brothers when they were teamed together at Stanford.
"“They’re two trees in there. They’re monsters. Try to send our whole team at them. Try to limit Brook’s touches. When you think you have one up on a shot fake, you step through and the other one’s right there waiting for you.”"
The sheer size of Robin and Brook ensured that Stanford team, which also included now former NBAer Landry Fields, was a defensive force. In the Lopezes’ two years in college, Stanford made the NCAA tournament on both occasions, losing in the first round in their freshman season, and advancing to the Sweet Sixteen as sophomores. Notably, that final run included a Round of 32 overtime victory over Marquette.
Brook continued to stand out as the more glamorous prospect of the two, making him a sure-fire lottery pick, but Robin also significantly boosted his stock at Stanford.
Once projected as a potential second round pick, Robin made the Pac-10 All-Defensive Team in his final year in college and went on to be selected 15th overall, just five spots after his brother, in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Amassing 156 blocks (2.3 per game) over the course of his Stanford career gave a clear picture of what Robin’s strengths could be at the next level, but averages of 9.0 points and 5.6 rebounds on 51.1 percent from the field also hinted at the well-rounded player he had the potential to grow into.
As the duo prepare to pair up for the first time since Stanford next season, many may well look back at this time as instructive for what the Bucks can expect with both Lopezes on the roster. On that front, this anecdote from the aforementioned 2008 Sports Illustrated feature offers up plenty of cause for encouragement:
"“When the twins square off one-on-one or face each other in practice, they can be so fiercely competitive that “we have to keep an eye on them and change matchups,” says assistant coach Doug Oliver. “They start pushing and shoving, and they won’t call fouls on each other.” But when they are on the same team, they are just as rabid in their support of each other. When Brook made a decisive block near the end of a 67-66 win over Arizona last Saturday, Robin leaped off the bench and roared louder than anyone. Yet Brook is quick to say, “Robin is the best shot blocker I’ve ever seen.”"