Mount Carmel honors Craig Robinson

When Oregon State University men’s basketball coach Craig Robinson greeted the media prior to his induction into the Mount Carmel Alumni Hall of Fame on Friday, he was peppered with, shall we say, polite questions.

Would he like to coach in Chicago one day?

How did Mount Carmel prepare him for his future?

How does he like the old place on 64th and Dante now that it’s been brought into the 21st century?

All fair questions, considering Robinson coached at Northwestern under Bill Carmody, at one time was vice president of Continental Bank and Morgan Stanley, and graduated from Mount Carmel in 1979, when its crumbling campus was far from the glittering marvel it is today.

But when your little sister, Michelle, is the first lady, and the hoops-crazy president of the United States is your brother-in-law, here’s what we want to know from a basketball expert:

Does President Barack Obama have game?

Can the lefty — and we’re speaking less politically here than biologically — go to his right?

“He has game for a pickup basketball player,” said Robinson, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt. “Most of the guys who consider themselves basketball players, 90 percent of them are pickup basketball players.

“He fits in perfectly with that group. He’s fun to play with.

“He’s a team player and a smart player. He’s smart enough to not play me 1-on-1.”

Is it fair to say Obama has a tendency to go to his left?

“Yes, he does like to go to his left,” Robinson said with a smile. “That’s why he’s a perfect pickup basketball player.”

Robinson did acknowledge that Obama’s jumper “is pretty good.”

“But your jumper gets better the older you get,” Robinson, at 46 a year younger than the president, said.

Robinson, who wore No. 32 at Mount Carmel, said he was “excited to be here and excited that they chose to recognize me.”

He also couldn’t believe how the campus looked.

“Incredible,” Robinson said. “This place is terrific. It played a big role in my Ivy League education. The work ethic, discipline and structure they have here helped shape the person I am. I was fortunate to have some really good coaches. I have so many great memories.”

Ironically, his fondest memory from high school didn’t occur on the basketball court.

It was watching intramural boxing.

“I got to work the ring,” said Robinson, who earned a master’s degree in business administration at the University of Chicago. “I always enjoyed that.”

The 6-foot-6 Robinson was a two-time Ivy League Player of the Year at Princeton and 1983 draft pick of the Philadelphia 76ers.

His professional basketball aspirations didn’t pan out, but he appears to be on the fast track in the coaching ranks.

Prior to landing the position at Oregon State last April, Robinson coached at Brown University and won more games (30) in his first two years than any other coach in the program’s history.

In his recently completed first season at Oregon State, he guided the Beavers to a 13-17 mark — a solid accomplishment, considering the program was winless in the Pac-10 the previous season.

He is confident he can lead the Beavers to better days — even if he has to name-drop.

“It certainly helps,” Robinson said. “Because of the political notoriety of my sister and brother-in-law, I can internationally recruit.

“If notoriety helps me get into a living room, I have to take advantage of it.”

Pat Disabato can be reached at pdisabato@southtownstar.com or (708) 802-8837.