NKU men’s basketball adds Norfolk State transfer Robinson for 2018-19 season

NKyTribune staff

Northern Kentucky University head coach John Brannen announced Thursday that graduate transfer Zaynah Robinson from Norfolk State has been added to the Norse roster for next season.

“We are very excited about adding Zaynah to our family here at NKU,” said Brannen. “Zaynah was an all-conference guard his junior year at Norfolk State before redshirting this past year. ‘Z’ will provide much needed experience to our team in 2018-19.”

Robinson missed all of last season as he treated a chronic back condition. He chose to transfer in order to pursue a graduate degree in a field of study not offered at Norfolk State.

The 5-foot-11 point guard last played for the Spartans during the 2016-17 season. As a junior, he was a second team All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference honoree, while also garnering recognition on the NABC All-District 15 second team and BOXTOROW HBCU Division I All-America second team.

Robinson also led Norfolk State to the MEAC championship game in 2017 and earned all-tournament status.

At Norfolk State, Robinson saw action in 100 games, averaging 7.4 points and 2.9 assists per game. His productivity increased every season, culminating in averages of 13.5 points, 4.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game as a junior.

Earlier this spring, NKU also added recruits Silas Adheke and Adrian Nelson to the roster for next season.

The 6-foot-9, 237-pound Adheke averaged 7.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season, helping Eastern Florida State College post a 30-5 overall record and advance to the NJCAA national semifinals.

Nelson arrives at NKU following a successful prep career at Pickerington Central High School, where he was a teammate of current Norse Jalen Tate. A 6-foot-6 forward with rim-rattling capabilities, Nelson averaged 14 points and nine rebounds per game as a senior, earning first team Ohio Capital Conference and District 11 honors.

In the fall, NKU signed prep standouts Trevon Faulkner and Bryant Mocaby. Faulkner, a Mercer County High School hoops legend, was named the 2018 Mr. Basketball in Kentucky. The 6-foot-3 Faulkner averaged 26.5 points and 9.2 rebounds this season. He also scored more than 3,000 points in his career at Mercer County.

Mocaby, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, averaged nearly 20 points per game this season at Derby High School in Kansas. He led the Panthers to the 6A state semifinals and netted a total of 52 points in his final two games, including a 31-point effort against eventual champion Blue Valley Northwest. Mocaby is a prolific outside shooter who should step in and give NKU a threat from 3-point range.

NKU captured the Horizon League regular-season championship in 2017-18. The Norse earned a berth to the NIT and finished the season with a 22-10 record.