The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

While twin brother, Brook, was the featured scorer for the Cardinal, the defensive skills Robin Lopez brought to the team helped Stanford compile a 28-8 record during his sophomore season.

Known for his outstanding shot-blocking skills, he ranks second in school history with 156 blocks in just two seasons at Stanford. He also proved to be an adequate defender, as the Lopez brothers led the team in rebounds in 22 of the 36 games they played in during the 2007-08 campaign.

Robin Lopez is an intimidating presence on defense. He has shown flashes of his offensive capabilities. In the team's final 15 games, he scored in at least 10 points 11 times. He also excelled in the NCAA Tournament, where he averaged 12.7 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 60.7 percent from the field.

At San Joaquin Memorial High School, Lopez lettered four times in basketball. He was a 2006 McDonald's and Parade All-American, adding second-team All-Star honors from The Fresno Bee. He was tabbed underclassmen MVP at the Adidas Super Star Camp and was a two-time all-tournament selection of the Adidas Super 64 tournament. He helped lead his team to the North Yosemite League title, as that squad came one victory shy of making it to the Division IV state championship.

Both Lopez brothers were members of the 2005 USA Youth Development Festival "Blue" team that won a silver medal in the International Sports Invitational. He finished the Festival ranked third among all-time USA Festival participants for blocked shots with 15 and received first-team "Best of the West" honors from the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

In 2006-07, Lopez was one of three Stanford players to start all 31 games. He averaged 7.5 points per game, making 54.5 percent of his shots from the free-throw line (42-of-77) and 48.0 percent from the field (96-of-200 field goals). His 172 rebounds were the eighth-best season total by a Stanford freshman. His 73 blocked shots set the school freshman single-season record and ranks third on the career record chart. He also dished out 29 assists while averaging 24.0 minutes per game.

With brother Brook academically ineligible for the team's first nine games of the

2007-08 SEASON

, Robin stepped up his offensive game. He connected on 140-of-262 field goals (53.4 percent) and 86-of-132 shots from the charity stripe (65.2 percent) for 367 points, an average of 10.2 points per game. He earned All-Pac-10 Conference honorable mention, leading the league with 83 blocked shots, the second-best season total in school history. He also had 22 assists and 18 steals, averaging 24.5 minutes per game.

SCOUTING REPORT

Positives: Has very good arm length and a developing frame that can carry at least another 15 pounds of bulk without having that weight affect his overall agility and lateral movement ... Has natural strength, along with good aggression that he uses to intimidate smaller opponents attacking the basket in the low post ... High-energy type who has excellent stamina and balance running the floor ... Has large, strong hands and does a nice job of maintaining contact with opponents when working on the perimeter ... Has soft hands and can easily palm the ball and push it into the basket from mid-range...Seems very comfortable generating quick post moves ... His hands might be his best asset...Uses his length, size and mobility to haul in off-target entry pass and pull in misses on the offensive glass ... Smart, instinctive player with a good feel for the game...Makes crisp passes out of the post and easily spots outside shooters ... All-out hustler, especially under the boards, where he is a decent rebounder, but a much more impressive shot-blocker, thanks to very good leaping ability, elevation and long reach (led the Pac-10 Conference in blocked shots in each of his seasons at Stanford) ... Has very good quickness and explosiveness getting into position and extending to create havoc under the basket on defense ... Shows good timing and foot quickness getting up and down the court, running the floor well on the defensive end ... Can make a nice living with his active nature attacking the glass ... Has exceptional quickness getting into position to secure the offensive rebound ... Developed better intensity as a sophomore, especially in the paint (was a bit tentative as a freshman) ... Like his brother, Brook Lopez, he has little regard for his safety hustling for loose balls ... Plays with good aggression and was successful creating space with his elbows ... More explosive as a runner than his brother and knows how to maintain position in the paint ... Late bloomer as a scorer, but uses his body well to squeeze through tight areas and create his shot around the basket (best from the 5- to 7-foot range) ... Is a natural rebounder off the offensive boards and has developed a nice spin move working around the rim as a low post scorer ... Has made steady improvement on his baseline jump shot ... His spin move and mobility allow him to make the tough layup with a defender's hand in his face ... Seemed more comfortable with his shot-selection as a sophomore than he showed in the past ... Improved free-throw shooter, with a quick wrist flick, and gets good elevation ... Has developed an efficient baby hook shot and has also shown better consistency unleashing a one-handed mid-range jumper ... More emotional and determined when playing defense than on offense, as he relishes the physical contact underneath ... Despite his size, he knows how to sink his hips and maintain a low stance when playing on the perimeter ... Uses his length well to engulf smaller forwards and has the timing needed to dominate in the paint and alter the opponent's shot.

Negatives: Has a developing frame, but could use additional bulk (looks too lanky) ... Has to work on his footwork, as he sometimes gets too narrow with his anchor in the paint and can be pushed back by more physical forwards ... Unlike his brother, he is more comfortable with his back to the basket and has yet to develop a solid face-up game ... Better in the short-to-mid range with his jump shot ... Shows good elevation going for the offensive rebound, but is not as efficient working the defensive glass (lack of ideal bulk causes problems) ... While his offensive game shows improvement, he is not NBA ready to be counted on as even an optional scoring outlet ... Has never really developed an array of post moves and struggles with his shooting touch when more than eight feet from the basket ... Most of his scoring comes on putbacks, not "iso" post moves ... Has improved from the free-throw line, but still lacks a good feel at the stripe ... Improved his scoring touch the second half of his sophomore year, but lacks confidence in his offensive ability and will look to pass rather than shoot ... Has a decent baseline jumper and good spin move, but is prone to getting the ball stripped from him in the post ... Marginal defender on the pick-and-roll and will often bite on pump fakes ... Has good instincts, but has had concentration lapses, as he will commit foolish fouls on offense, take poor off-balance shots and lose the ball on the dribble too much ... Looks hesitant on his way to the basket and is prone to mental mistakes and turnovers ... Good shot blocker, but will commit too early and get caught out of position on defense ... Needs to work harder to establish his position in the post ... Decent passer inside, but needs to scan the court better to prevent turnovers.

Compares To: ANDRIS BIEDRINS-Golden State ... Lopez is 20 pounds heavier than Biedrins, but his frame still looks lanky and he is more mobile than most big men. Unlike his brother, his game is much better with his back to the basket than when facing up. He showed improved scoring touch the second half of his sophomore year, but will never be considered a scoring outlet in the NBA. He might develop down the road, but for now, it is his shot blocking, followed by his decent rebounding skills that will get him decent minutes coming off the bench. He makes quick moves in the post and is much quicker than brother, Brook, running the floor. He is simply a blue-collar type who understands his place in the game and has no problem being known more for his defensive abilities.

CAREER NOTES:

Robin Lopez started 61-of-67 games in which he appeared in at Stanford, connecting on 236-of-458 field goals (51.5 percent) and 128-of-209 free throws (65.2 percent) for 601 points, an average of 8.9 points per game ... Contributed 376 rebounds (5.6 rebounds per game), 51 assists and 23 steals ... His 156 blocked shots rank second on the school all-time list, topped by Tim Young's 167 (1994-99) ... His 83 blocked shots in 2007-08 rank second on the Stanford season-record list behind Curtis Borchardt (85 in 2001-02) ... His 73 blocked shots in 2006-07 set the school season-record for freshmen, topping the previous mark of 43 by Tim Young in 1994-95 (Robin's brother, Brook also surpassed Young's record, blocking 45 shots in 2006-07) ... His six blocked shots vs. Siena in 2006-07 is tied with several others for second on the school single-game record list, surpassed by Brook Lopez (12 vs. Southern California in 2006-07) ... His 172 rebounds in 2006-07 rank eighth on the Cardinal season-record list for fresh-men ... His average of 5.5 rebounds per game rank forth on the school freshmen season-record list, topped by Tim Young (8.6 rebounds per game, 1994-95), Jason Collins (6.1 rpg, 1999-2000) and Brook Lopez (6.0 rpg, 2006-07).

2007-08 SEASON

All-Pac-10 Conference honorable mention ... Also voted to the five-member Pac-10 All-Defensive team ... Started 30 of the team's 36 games, averaging 10.2 points, as he hit on 140-of-262 field goals (53.4 percent) and 86-of-132 free throws (65.2 percent) while making his only 3-point attempt ... Hauled in 204 rebounds, an average of 5.7 per game ... Credited with 22 assists and 18 steals ... Ranks second on the school season-record list with 83 blocked shots, leading the conference while ranking 30th nationally ... Fouled out once and had 94 fouls with 63 turnovers ... Scored in double-figures in 17 games overall, including eleven times in the team's final fifteen contests ... Extremely impressive in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 12.7 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 60.7-percent from the field.

2007-08 GAME ANALYSIS

Reached double-figures in scoring for the first time since Jan. 18, 2007 when he finished with 12 points in a win over UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 11...In the Northwestern clash, scored 16 points to go along with seven rebounds...Hauled down 11 boards to go along with eight points at Siena...In the Yale contest, notched a double-double with a career-best 24 points (8-11 from the field, 8-10 free throws) and 12 rebounds...Against Colorado State, scored 13 points and knocked down the first three-pointer of his career...Scored 13 points on 6-9 shooting vs. Sacramento State...Grabbed 12 rebounds vs. UCLA and tallied nine points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes at Oregon...Had a season-high 14 boards to match nine points in a win over California...Led all scorers with 15 points to go along with six boards in a win over Oregon...Totaled 16 points and eight rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench at Arizona State...Added 14 points and eight boards in a victory at Arizona and chipped in with 11 points, four boards and two steals during a victory over California on Feb. 24...Poured in 14 points on 6-8 shooting in 21 minutes at UCLA on Mar. 6...Added 16 points on 6-11 shooting vs. Southern California and chipped in with 14 points vs. Arizona on Mar. 13 in the Pac-10 Tournament...Scored 14 points and five blocks vs. Cornell and recorded 18 points on 7-10 shooting with nine rebounds vs. Marquette in the NCAA Tournament.

2006-07 SEASON

One of three players to start all 31 games, Lopez averaged 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, making 96-of-200 field goals (48.0 percent) and 42-of-77 free throws (54.5 percent)...Averaged 24.0 minutes per game...Led the team in blocked shots with 73, a freshman single-season record and good enough for third all-time in a school annals ... Ended the year ranked 24th nationally in blocked shots per game (2.4)...Scored in double-figures 10 times and pulled down at least 10 rebounds in a game twice...Fouled out of two games, as he produced 72 fouls and 46 turnovers, but also had 29 assists and five steals ... In Pac-10 Conference games, he averaged 6.4 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 45.8-percent with 41 blocks.

2006-07 GAME ANALYSIS

In his collegiate debut vs. Siena, finished with 14 points, a season-best 15 rebounds and six blocks in 23 minutes...Chipped in with 13 points and 12 boards vs. Denver and scored a season-best 17 points on 8-12 shooting with four blocks vs. Washington.

INJURY REPORT

No injuries reported.

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended San Joaquin (Cal.) Memorial High School...Lettered four times in basketball ... 2006 McDonald's and Parade All-American, adding second-team All-Star honors from The Fresno Bee ... Tabbed Underclassmen MVP at the Adidas Super Star Camp and was a two-time all-tournament selection of the Adidas Super 64 tournament ... Helped lead his team to the North Yosemite League title, as that squad came one victory shy of making it to the Division IV state championship ... Member of the 2005 USA Youth Development Festival "Blue" team that won a silver medal in the International Sports Invitational ... Finished the Festival ranked third among all-time USA Festival participants for blocked shots with 15 and received first-team "Best of the West" honors from the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

PERSONAL

General Studies major ... Twin brother, Brook, was a teammate in high school and started at power forward at Stanford (2006-08) ... Son of Deborah Ledford...Brother, Alex, played basketball at Santa Clara...Mother was an Olympic swimmer...Born 4/01/88 ... Resides in Fresno, California.

Stats

Career Shooting Stats
Season	TEAM	G	MIN	FG	FGA	FG%	FG3	FG3A	FG3%	FT	FTA	FT%	PTS	AVG
2006-07	Stanford	31	743	96	200	48	0	1	0	42	77	54.5	234	7.5
2007-08	Stanford	36	883	140	262	53.4	1	1	100	86	132	65.2	367	10.2
TOTAL		67	1626	236	462	51.1	1	2	50	128	209	61.2	601	9

More Stats
Season	TEAM	G	MIN	REB	RAVG	A	AAVG	STL	SAVG	BLK	BAVG	TO
2006-07	Stanford	31	743	172	5.5	29	0.9	5	0.2	73	2.4	46
2007-08	Stanford	36	883	204	5.7	22	0.6	18	0.5	83	2.3	63
TOTAL		67	1626	376	5.6	51	0.8	23	0.3	156	2.3	109