Every once in a while after Hailee Robbins makes a big play, the student cheering section at Franklin will take a moment to remind the opposition that the 5-foot-11 forward is just a freshman.
“She’s just one of those girls where it’s stages, not ages,” Grizzly Cubs coach Josh Sabol said. “She’s 14 years old, but she doesn’t play like it. She plays like she’s been playing varsity level for a while.”
The soft-spoken Robbins has been a noisy presence on the court so far for Franklin in her debut season. During last month’s Johnson County championship game against Center Grove, the ninth-grader exploded for a career-best 19 points and six rebounds, five of those on the offensive glass.
That she would step up in such a high-profile game seems to run counter to her lack of varsity experience, but it’s just part of how Robbins is wired.
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“Bigger games, I put more on myself because I know that it’s going to actually matter,” she said.
Robbins is currently third on a balanced Grizzly Cubs team in scoring with seven points per game, trailing only seniors Delanie Hill and Allison Barnard, and second on the team in rebounding with five per game.
What has impressed Sabol the most about Robbins is not just her production, but the many ways in which she’s capable of producing. She plays a stretch four for the Grizzly Cubs, meaning she’s counted on to handle opposing post players but she’s also capable of doing damage from all over the floor offensively.
That’s something that should cause headaches for opposing coaches over the next few years.
“I think what Hailee brings to the table is just her versatility,” Sabol said. “She can play inside with her back to the basket, she can take it to the basket and she can also shoot 3s. … She can just score in so many different ways.”
So far, Robbins has been selective about when she takes her shots from outside, but she’s been effective, making 69 percent of her 3-pointers this season, including 3 of 3 against Greensburg.
The transition to the varsity game was somewhat easier for Robbins because of her offseasons spent playing with the Indiana Flight AAU team, Attack 15U. Gaining experience playing with and against other varsity players helped her prepare for her rookie season with Franklin.
“I either play against them or I play with them,” Robbins said of her high school opponents, “so I kind of see how they play and I know them, and so when I come out I know what I need to do.”
As a result, Robbins has been able to blend in seamlessly with a Grizzly Cubs team that includes half a dozen seniors and two more juniors who get a lot of playing time.
“All of the upperclassmen have really accepted her and they push her,” Sabol said of Robbins, “and they’ve been very supportive, because she can play. The girls want to compete, and they know that with her on the floor it’s going to give us a good chance to go out and be competitive.”
