Okaw Valley alum Paige Robinson soon to bring skills from Drury to ISU
SULLIVAN, Ill. —聽If you鈥檝e followed Central Illinois girls basketball in the past 10 years, chances are you鈥檝e heard of Paige Robinson. Paige graduated from Okaw Valley in 2018. As a senior she was named to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-State 1st team. She led her team to the state tournament and remembers 鈥淥kaw Valley had never won a regional championship, so that was awesome to get. Once we got past that roadblock, we kept the momentum going and were able to make it to Redbird Arena.鈥� Paige’s success didn鈥檛 stop there, however, she does say 鈥淚n high school, I faced a lot of double teams, box and 1s, face guarding, etc. so that helped me prepare for the defense I was going to face in college.鈥�
Out of High School, Paige decided Drury University was the best fit for her. At the Division II school in Springfield, Missouri, Paige says 鈥淚 quickly grew a relationship with the coaching staff and the girls on the team, so it was not a hard decision for me. Their historic success also attracted me to them.鈥� Paige has brought the team some success of her own! At Drury, she is the all time leader in 3 pointers, as well as the second in all-time points. During her Junior season she was the D-II National Player of the Year. Paige says 鈥淢y favorite part of Drury is all the team success. We have been able to cut down a lot of nets with all the hard work we put into the game. There is nothing like it.鈥�
Because of the extra year of eligibility due to Covid, Paige has decided to bring her talents closer to home. She recently committed to Division I Illinois State University for her fifth year. Paige has shown all at the D-II level that being from a 1A school didn鈥檛 hold her back, now she鈥檚 hoping to do the same at the D-1 level. After four basketball seasons at a school over 300 miles away, Paige is excited to be able to play closer to home. Being closer to home, Paige hopes her hometown will continue to support her basketball career. She says 鈥淚 hope they remember my legacy as a basketball player but more importantly I hope they remember me as a better person off the court and in the community.鈥�
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