Oregon State name Robinson coach

Apr 8, 2008 - 6:43 AM PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) -- Oregon State named Craig Robinson its next men's basketball coach Monday.

Robinson led Brown to a school-record 19 victories this past season, his second with the Bears. The Bears went 11-19 in Robinson's first season as coach, and the 30 victories are the most of any Brown coach in their first two campaigns.

Brown finished in second place in the Ivy League this past season with an 11-3 record - the second-most wins in its history in conference play.

"Some of the factors we looked at when making this decision was someone with great integrity," Beavers athletic director Bob De Carolis said. "We're going to do it the right way. We are not going to cheat. We are going to have somebody who represents this University in a good manner. We want somebody who can support the academic mission. And when you look at coach Robinson's background, you can understand that's where he is coming from."

Robinson will inherit a downtrodden program. Former Oregon State coach Jay John was fired on January 20 and the Beavers completed the season under interim coach Kevin Mouton.

Oregon State finished last in the Pac-10, becoming the first team in league history to go 0-18 in conference play.

"That's OK, because we're going to win our share," Robinson said. "We just have to change the perception and the way we go about doing things. Fortunately, I've had some success along the way in doing that. I've got a formula and a game plan."

Robinson previously worked at Northwestern, where he spent six seasons as an assistant with the Wildcats under head coach Bill Carmody.

A native of Chicago, Robinson is the brother-in-law of Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama. And he had his own message to impart to the school's followers.

"While this is somewhat foreign, or somewhat new, it really isn't," Robinson said. "This is truly a great opportunity. Not just for me and my family, and for these guys here, but for the entire Oregon State community. This is a rich basketball history, and I can't wait to get back to where we were."