2018 Miss Basketball talks about decision to leave Louisville, desire to make impact
Louisville women’s basketball saw two recent Miss Kentucky Basketballs announce their intentions to transfer this week. For Mercer County star Seygan Robins, after redshirting her sophomore year due to injury, the decision to move on came down to wanting a better chance to play more significant minutes.
“Louisville has a lot of talent on their team coming back and a lot of talent on their team coming in — those who redshirted and the freshmen coming in,” Robins, a two-time state champion with Mercer County and 2018 Miss Basketball, told the Herald-Leader on Wednesday. “I just thought that me coming back off of injury and not having much experience playing yet, that I wouldn’t have a great chance of playing minutes. And I kind of just want to go to a school where I know I’m going to be able to play some more.”
No. 6 Louisville has a couple of standout guards returning next season and boasts a recruiting class ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation. Robins played sparingly in 26 games as a freshman for Louisville and got into two games this year before a chronic right ankle problem required surgery.
Robins’ departure came a day after her friend, teammate and 2017 Miss Basketball Lindsey Duvall announced the same decision. Duvall played for Bullitt East in high school. Robins said she and Duvall talked about the possibility of transferring, but didn’t influence each other.
“We’re good friends, so we talk, but we definitely came to our own decisions,” Robins said.
Both leave Louisville on good terms. Louisville Coach Jeff Walz said either would be welcomed back on scholarship if they decided to return.
“(Walz) has been super supportive through all of this,” Robins said. “All of the coaching staff has and the team. I loved the environment and atmosphere at Louisville. I’m definitely going to miss those teammates.”
In high school, Robins chose Louisville over offers from Kentucky, Western Kentucky and Central Florida. As a college transfer with three years of eligibility remaining, she’s hoping to land with a program within reasonable driving distance (four hours) from home. Under current NCAA rules, Robins would have to sit out a year, but there’s been discussion about waiving that requirement for first-time transfers beginning as soon as next season.
“I haven’t really put a time frame on it,” Robins said of when she’ll make a decision. “There’s nothing really going on right now, so I need to as quickly as I can make a decision, but I’m not going to rush anything for sure. I’m just talking to coaches and taking everything in consideration.”
Her primary concern at the moment is getting her right ankle back to 100 percent so she can do the things that helped her become one of the top players in the nation out of high school. Robins capped her Mercer County career earning a second consecutive Girls’ Sweet 16 tournament MVP for the Titans’ back-to-back titles. ESPN HoopGurlz rated her as a five-star prospect and the No. 38 ranked recruit in the class of 2018.
“Overall, my college experience has been great. Obviously, with basketball, I haven’t had much of an opportunity yet, but overall the overall experience at Louisville has been awesome,” Robins said. “I’m hoping just to try to improve my game as much as possible during this time and just come and make an impact on a program wherever I decide.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2020 at 7:38 AM.
