If Anthony Robinson II posted the same stat line that he did in his junior season at Missouri, almost every coach in the country would sign up for it.
A three-year veteran with the Tigers, Robinson played in all 33 games for Missouri a year ago, scoring almost nine points a game with 3.0 assists and over a steal a night, while helping lead his team to a spot in the NCAA tournament.
However, Luke Loucks is not any other coach. The second-year head man went hard after Robinson, not just because of what he did in Columbia, but because of the potential he believes the point guard can still tap into.
“We expect him to step in right away and lead, not just on the court but in how we work, prepare, and represent Florida State every day,” Loucks’ statement read when FSU officially signed Robinson. “We believe that with Anthony’s defensive intensity and offensive skill, he can be one of the most well-rounded and productive point guards in the ACC.”
The last part of Loucks’ statement is what makes Robinson such a tantalizing addition for the Seminoles. A season ago, Robert McCray V was one of the most well-rounded point guards in the ACC, and became the leader for a resurgent FSU team that came within one point of upsetting Duke in the ACC tournament and giving the NCAA tournament committee something to think about when selecting the field of 68. McCray refined his game from a scorer to a point guard who bent the nine other players on the court to his will, and he increased his assist total by over one per game in his senior year at FSU than he did in his junior season at JU. It is clear that Robinson has the ability to do that. The 6-3 guard dished out a career-high 10 assists against Kentucky last January and has averaged 3.0 assists per game his junior year and 3.5 assists a night in his sophomore campaign. Turning Robinson into a playmaker instead of a defensive-first guard will be critical to Florida State in the 2026-27 season.
While Robinson works on refining his offensive game, he is a ready-made head-of-the-snake defender for the Seminoles and will be the unquestioned leader on that side of the floor. He was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team in the 2024-25 season and swiped 1.6 steals per game in his junior year, ranking seventh in the SEC. Even as a smaller guard, Robinson blocked 10 shots a year ago and will not be afraid to get his nose into the mix. Florida State rebuilt its identity on defense throughout last season and will want to carry that progress into next year. With a bevy of long, athletic wings and Robinson hounding opposing guards, the Noles should be a hard out whenever they take the floor.
“The most impressive quality he has right now is his defense,” Loucks told the local Tallahassee media in his last press conference. “We were super excited to get that deal done, and he’s going to be a great leader on and off the court.”
Outside of basketball, Robinson’s senior year should be personal for him, another reason why Loucks placed such high expectations on the point guard. He grew up in Tallahassee and went to Florida State University High School. One of the main reasons he ended up at Missouri was the strong FSU connections on that staff, including Dennis Gates and C.Y. Young, and the same logic applies for why he came back home for his final season of eligibility. Loucks even brought in Robinson’s younger brother, Amaree, who went to Tallahassee State College before transferring to Florida State. The chance to return home and do something FSU basketball has not done this decade, make the NCAA Tournament, is not lost on Robinson, and is one of the main reasons Loucks handed him the keys to the car.
“Anthony is exactly what you look for in a point guard — tough, vocal, and someone who naturally commands respect. He’s grown a lot over his three years at Missouri, and bringing him back home to Tallahassee means a lot to our program.”
It may be unfair to expect Robinson to fill McCray’s shoes right away, given that he was not in charge of running the show in Missouri as McCray was at Jacksonville. At the same time, the Tallahassee native comes home with three years of SEC experience under his belt, a defined role, and a chance to come full circle on his basketball career by ending it where he started.
Any player would sign up for that story.