Trinity University basketball will host their final games of the regular season on Feb. 11, facing SCAC foe Colorado College, which will have major implications for the end-of-season conference tournament. A win would be huge for both the men’s and the women’s teams, as it would almost surely lock them into the no. 1 seed in both tournaments and an automatic bye. Beyond the off-court implications of the games, Sunday will also mark the final regular season home games for Trinity seniors, who have been major influences in both programs over the last four years. For seniors Maggie Robbins and Tanner Brown, their impact is almost impossible to overstate.
Robbins, a 5-foot-3 guard out of Plano, Texas, is one of the most well-known players on the team due to her tenacious defense and ability to pass the ball. Her performances against Dallas and Austin College were enough to earn her SCAC Player of the Week honors for just the first time this season, and she’s been a consistent player for a team that’s on pace to compete for their fourth consecutive SCAC championship.
“There will never be a stat sheet that will ever give a true indication of what Maggie Robbins means to basketball in general,” women’s head coach Cameron Hill said. “She not only is one of the best competitors I’ve ever been around, she also has great balance in her life in terms of managing how much basketball means to her. I watch her play, and I literally see a lion stalking its prey. She’s an assassin, and I’ve just loved every second of being her partner since she’s been here.”
Last season, Robbins set the single-season record for most assists and steals in program history, breaking records from the 2008-09 and 2004-05 seasons respectively. This season, she’s on pace to set career highs in points, rebounds and minutes per game, having started every game so far this season. Despite six seniors graduating at the end of last season, the team has held strong with a 17-5 record heading into the final three games of the regular season.
“Everyone has put a great effort into figuring out the puzzle pieces this year,” Robbins said. “With six seniors leaving last year, it really feels like a whole new team, and we just had to work through it together.”
Another senior with a big impact both this season and throughout his career has been Tanner Brown, a 6-foot-3 guard from Brandeis High School in San Antonio, about 30 minutes from the Trinity campus. Brown came to the team and has been an instant-impact player, breaking the 1,000-point threshold against Texas Lutheran on Jan. 20.
“It was definitely on my mind because I know family and friends have brought it up,” Brown said. “I wasn’t supposed to know exactly how close I was going into the game, but you know, spoilers happen. It’s just an accomplishment not for myself, but a testament to the team and my coaches as well. It’s not just an individual achievement, but it shows volume to my team as well.”
Brown has been one of the leading scorers for the team this season despite missing two games earlier this year due to illness. His 14.3 points per game on average have been a big contribution to Trinity’s 21-1 season — their only loss coming during his absence.
“[As a coach], it’s hard to quantify his impact,” men’s head coach Jimmy Smith said. “You know that you have a guy out there that is gonna give 100% effort; he’s gonna be in the right spots. He’s gonna do whatever it takes to give us the best chance to win.”
The start to both players’ careers didn’t get off on the best foot, as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic caused massive problems with recruiting and visiting efforts. Due to lockdown restrictions on visits, Robbins’ recruiting visit set an interesting stage for what would turn out to be a very fruitful time in the maroon and white.
“Her recruiting visit will go down in history as one of the coolest recruiting visits I’ve ever been a part of,” Hill said. “We literally went covert op. We didn’t even tell anybody she was coming. We set up four chairs in the locker room equal distance apart when we had a socially distant meeting in the locker room. She got to see before she even made her decision that we have the mentality that nothing will get in our way.”
Despite not being a part of a top-secret mission, Brown’s experience as a first-year was different in its own way. Along with navigating the effects of COVID, Brown and his fellow first-years were the first Trinity class to be recruited by Coach Smith.
“Freshman year was a bit interesting,” Brown said. “I think we, as a group, were able to hang out a lot more. I was able to bond in that way. It wasn’t an ideal start, but I guess it is what it is.”
As Senior Day approaches, it offers an opportunity to not only look forward, but look back as well. Both players have had an incredible effect on their teams, and the memories of success are hard to forget.
“I have a couple of favorite memories to pick from,” Robbins said. “One for sure is beating no. 1-ranked Christopher Newport to advance to Elite Eight in 2022. Bus rides back after games are always fun, but overall, I have met some of my best friends here and couldn’t be more thankful for this program.”