NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Graduate transfer Liam Robbins is officially the newest member of the Vanderbilt men’s basketball team, as announced by the program Thursday.
“Liam is a talented frontcourt player with offensive skill and the ability to protect the rim. He provides a dynamic on both ends of the floor that greatly impacts the game,” head coach Jerry Stackhouse said. “We are thrilled he is a part of our Commodore family while pursuing his masters degree.”
A 7-foot center, Robbins graduated from the University of Minnesota in business and marketing education, and joins the Commodores after a breakout year with the Gophers and two seasons at Drake University.
Robbins led the Big Ten and ranked 10th in the nation in blocks last season. A Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award candidate, he averaged 11.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks while shooting 44 percent and starting all 23 games he played. He also ranked 11th in the conference in rebounding and seventh in offensive rebounding.
In addition, Robbins won two Big Ten Player of the Week honors, and also garnered national Player of the Week recognition after a team-high 22 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in a win over No. 7 Michigan. He led the Gophers to an 11-0 start at home, including victories over No. 4 Iowa, No. 25 Ohio State, No. 17 Michigan State and No. 7 Michigan. In those four wins, Robbins averaged 21.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.3 steals, and shot 61.7 percent (29-for-47) from the field, 78.1 percent (25-for-32) from the foul line and 50 peercent (6-for-12) from 3-point range.
In two seasons at Drake, the Davenport, Iowa, native, played in 64 games. He started all 34 games as a sophomore in 2019-20 and led the Bulldogs with 14.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. He set a school record with 99 blocks—third most in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) history—and finished fifth in the nation in that category en route to NABC All-District Second Team, All-MVC Second Team, All-Defensive Team and MVC Most Improved honors.
Robbins, who is the nephew of Vanderbilt associate head coach Ed Conroy, joins graduate transfer Rodney Chatman from Dayton and two incoming freshmen—Gabe Dorsey and Peyton Daniels for head coach Jerry Stackhouse’s third season at the helm of the Commodores.
Robbins will be majoring in human development studies seeking a masters in education from Peabody College.
