Elaine Burke
February 24, 2016Our uncontrolled fears can lead us into sin
March 2, 2016
South Terrebonne student O’Darion “OD” Robinson has always dreamed of being a basketball player.
For one night last week, that dream was able to come true – a moment that both Robinson and members of the Gators nation will not soon forget.
The 21-year-old South Terrebonne special education student was given the opportunity to play with the Gators during their junior varsity matchup with South Lafourche – the team’s final home game of the season.
Robinson suited up at halftime and played the final two-plus minutes. He scored four points, including a long three-pointer that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
After the game, the student manager got high-fives from his teammates and words of encouragement from the Tarpons’ coaches and players. It was a night that Robinson said was “no doubt” the best of his life.
“It was awesome, man,” Robinson said with a laugh when
asked about his big game. “I did not know it would be happening. I just am so glad I got to play and be on the court with my friends. I will never forget it. I was just so, so happy. I’m still so, so happy.”
OD THE MANAGER EARNS HIGH MARKS
When not smiling from ear-to-ear about his big night on the hardwood, Robinson is almost always hard at work helping the South Terrebonne boys’ basketball team.
Robinson has been a manager with the team for the past four seasons – a gig that he says is fun, but that he also takes very seriously.
The folks around him on a day-to-day basis can echo that statement.
South Terrebonne assistant coach Justin Lirette sees Robinson, who is known by students as ‘OD’, at work every day.
Lirette said that OD is “as good of a manager as you could ever ask for,” adding that he is always willing to lend coaches or players a hand to make sure that things flow smoothly.
“He knows where every light switch in this building is,” Lirette said. “He is always there to help in any way. He can run the scorer’s table at practice. If the janitors are in here, he’d be willing to help them clean up or do whatever they’d need. If our players need something, he’s on top of it, as well. He does an excellent job.”
Gators junior captain Brandon Anderson agrees.
He said that OD is the best manager he’s ever had in his career, adding that there’s never a time during a game where a Gators player is in need of anything.
“Whatever we need, he’s right there willing to help us out,” Anderson said. “Water, Gatorade, a towel – whatever we need, he’s the first one to run off his chair and make sure it’s taken care of. We know he loves this team, and we appreciate the work he puts in for us.”
But make no mistake about it – OD loves to play, too.
During practices, the student-manager routinely shoots his signature shot – a 3-pointer from the right wing that is about five feet behind the line. No one has any clue why OD loves to shoot from so far away, but that’s his sweet spot.
He makes them, too. Routinely and with ease. He thrusts all of his body into the shot, then admires as it splashes the net.
“He can shoot the ball,” Lirette said. “He’s a pretty solid shooter.”
When not shooting, he’s often telling tales to players about what life would be like if he were on the team.
“He tells me all of the time that he could beat me in one-on-one,” Anderson said with a laugh. “He can shoot the basketball. He loves to play. Any chance he gets, he’s ready to get on the court and put up some shots.”
So while the 2015-16 season unfolded, Gators first-year coach Caleb White took note of his manager’s passion for South Terrebonne basketball, which sparked an idea.
Together with Lirette, the coaches said they quietly planned and brainstormed ways to get OD into a game before the end of the season – his last as a student.
“We needed to find the right opponent,” White said. “We wanted it to be a team that brings a nice crowd.”
As district play started and White skimmed the schedule, he found a match – South Lafourche. The Gators closed their season with the Tarpons last Tuesday night, and White said he knew the Tarpons would allow OD a chance to play because they are a “first-class program in every way.”
White said he contacted Tarpons coach Brian Callais, which set everything into motion.
The Gators coach said the school’s acceptance of the idea is an act of class he will be long grateful for.
The Tarpons fans outnumbered South Terrebonne’s probably four to one on that Tuesday, but they rooted OD on every minute that he was on the floor.
“South Lafourche High School is as responsible for this as anyone,” White said. “They’re such a well-run program, and we have so much respect for them. I want to thank them, their fans and everyone involved with their program – coaches and players – for giving us this chance. It was so special to see our two schools come together to give this young man a moment that he will never forget.”
OD’s DREAM COMES TO LIGHT
OD never knew that Tuesday, February 16, 2016 would be his big day. It started about the same as every other day does for the local manager.
OD said he went to school during the day, then got to the gym early to help set things up before the basketball game – all part of his normal routine.
Once the basketball game started, that was all normal, too.
He did his managerial duties for the first half of the junior varsity game between the Gators and Tarpons, taking care of his teammates when they needed his assistance.
But as the buzzer sounded and the teams headed into the lockers, White called OD into the locker room. The coach baited the manager into the room by claiming he needed a favor.
“I told him, ‘Hey, OD, why don’t you come in here, man, I need some help,”‘ White said. “So he comes by, and I told him to put on a jersey and suit up, because he was going
O’Darion “OD” Robinson attempts a free thorw during last Tuesday’s game against South Lafourche. The 21-year-old special education student said playing for South Terrebonne was a dream come true.
The South Terrebonne basketball team honored its manager, O’Darion “OD” Robinson (center), giving him a chance to play in last Tuesday’s game against South Lafourche. Also pictured (from left) are Gators coach Caleb White, freshman player Tyler Smith, OD, junior team captain Brandon Anderson and Gators assistant coach Justin Lirette.
