David Robinson Climbs Out From Behind Desk

For almost seven months David Robinson folded up his 7-foot 1-inch frame behind a government-issued desk and played civil engineer.

Now it’s time for Robinson to get back to what he does best--play basketball.

“In the last year, I couldn’t even tell you the kinds of experiences I’ve had,” Robinson said at a press conference before leaving for Colorado Springs, Colo., where the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball trials are being held.

Robinson, the first player selected in the 1987 draft, spent most of the last seven months working as a Naval civil engineer “building waterfront facilities for submarines in Georgia,” he said.

“It was different, something I’ve never done before, sitting behind a desk for nine hours a day,” Robinson said. “That was interesting. I liked the people and I liked doing that sort of thing.

“I spent two months out in civil engineer school. It was a lot like school. We spent about eight hours a day in classes. But then we went out on a couple of trips and they were pretty good. I got a chance to do some recruiting, visit some high schools in D.C., talking about ‘say no to drugs’ and telling them about Navy opportunities. That was an experience.

“The things that I’ve done in the last year have helped me tremendously and I’ve enjoyed it. It agreed with me. Plus, it allowed me to get ready for the Olympics, so I really couldn’t ask for much more.”

For nearly a month, Robinson worked out at the U.S. Naval Academy, running, lifting weights and playing pickup basketball. It was the first serious training he has been through since last summer.

The first organized basketball Robinson played since the 1987 Pan Am Games was with a team representing the Navy in an Armed Services basketball tournament in mid-March.

“I came off my job after six or seven months . . . I hadn’t practiced. I hadn’t played,” said Robinson, who also played in two other amateur tournaments after the first one. “They had been practicing twice a day getting ready for these games.

“Then I came out in the first game. It was really frustrating. We were playing the Marines. I scored 13 points, and I didn’t play very well. I’m 7-1 and their tallest guy couldn’t have been more than 6-8 or 6-9. It was frustrating because I knew I could play better than that.

“The next game we came out against Army and I only scored five points or something, and I fouled out. That was probably my low point. I came back after that and started to play a little better, but I definitely needed to get in shape.”

So it was back to Halsey Field House, where Robinson played for four years, becoming the 1987 College Player of the Year. As a senior at Navy, Robinson averaged 28.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots per game. He set or shared 33 records at Navy.

The workouts lasted four to five hours a day. Lifting weights, running sprints, swimming, anything Robinson could do to get his legs back.

“I’ve seen John Thompson’s teams, and I’ve seen the way they pressure for 40 minutes, and they run up and down the court. That’s just about all they do,” Robinson said. “I knew I wasn’t going to make the team if I wasn’t in any kind of condition. I knew that’s what I needed to work on through this month.”

When Robinson took the floor for his first scrimmage at the Olympic tryout camp, it marked the end of some long, lonely workouts.

“I’ve been working out by myself for a while. I miss the guys. I think it makes it so much more fun to come out and work with all the guys,” Robinson said. “When you’re working by yourself, it’s hard to keep your spirits up and keep yourself motivated all the time.

Even though he had a 2-year commitment with the Navy facing him, Robinson was signed to an 8-year, $28 million contract by the San Antonio Spurs.

“All of my money goes to a trust fund. You can eat and have an apartment and all of that sort of thing, so those allowances are made,” he said.

As far as Robinson knows, the National Basketball Assn. will have to wait until his 2-year hitch is up. He’s not thinking about it.

“Right now, the Olympics are the main thing. The NBA is too far off,” he said. “I know right now I’m just not ready for that. But I will be when the time comes.”

Robinson met two weeks ago with Thompson, the Georgetown coach who is in charge of the U.S. team.

“Just from talking to him and watching his teams, he definitely doesn’t try to emphasize one player,” Robinson said of the U.S. coach. “He runs that team concept. . . . I watched when he had Pat Ewing and I would imagine maybe playing that same type of role. . . . I’d be comfortable playing, period. . . . If I only play 15 minutes a game and that’s all he needed me for, that’s what I’ll do.”

And what about a gold medal?

“I haven’t seen the Russians and I haven’t seen how much they’ve prepared and everything. I haven’t seen the Yugoslavs play. There are some good teams out there,” Robinson said. “I feel like we have some tremendous talent. I can’t see how we shouldn’t go out there and win it. You know never to underestimate what you’re going to go out and face.