But for coach Mitchell, the title of 2007 Minnesota Miss Basketball is not what excites her most about freshman point guard Angel Robinson.,”Head coach Terri Mitchell knows all too well that being named (enter state name here) Miss Basketball does not guarantee stardom at the collegiate level.

But for Mitchell, the title of 2007 Minnesota Miss Basketball is not what excites her most about freshman point guard Angel Robinson. What is more thrilling is the lighting quick first step, the acrobatic finishes around the rim, the sixth sense for passing lanes and the tenacious defense, which allowed Robinson to put up 16.3 points, 5.3 assists and a ridiculous 4.9 steals per game during her senior year of high school.

With all the individual accolades Robinson received – Minneapolis Star Tribune's Metro Player of the Year, ranked No. 49 by scout.com, ranked No. 24 and the fourth best point guard in the nation by All-Star Girls Report – what was most important to her was her team.

"Finally getting the state championship title was a big accomplishment for me," Robinson said.

And why shouldn't it be? In a fairytale senior season, Robinson, from St. Paul, Minn., led the St. Paul Central Minutemen to a finishing mark of 32-0, claiming the trophy at the Minnesota 4A State Championship. As the only senior on the squad, Robinson was the unquestioned leader of a team that outscored opponents by an average score of 86-42.

Team chemistry is what allowed Robinson's Minutemen to beat up on everyone they faced. In fact, Robinson said it was also her reason for coming to Marquette.

"I had really good relationships with the coaches," Robinson said. "The players were all cool with me, and they seemed like they wanted me here."

While coach Mitchell stated she doesn't know which of her freshmen will be seeing the most minutes this season, she did make it clear that they will all be seeing their share.

"We want to throw our freshmen into the fire and get a lot of minutes under their belt," Mitchell said. "As much as they have earned them."

Mitchell stuck to her word in the team's first exhibition game on Saturday against Concordia. Robinson started at guard along with junior Krystal Ellis and sophomore Janelle Harris. The other two starters were senior Svetlana Kovalenko and redshirt freshman Jocelyn Mellen, both at the forward position.

Robinson displayed confidence bringing the ball up the court and a willingness to use those jaw-dropping moves to get to the hoop. She finished with five points, three boards, one assist, a blocked shot and one steal in 17 minutes of play.

"I was very impressed," said Mitchell of the performance she saw from her all of her freshmen. "It was their first time on the big stage. We know we are fouling a lot, but we have really preached being physical and aggressive."

Robinson was a part of that conversation on fouling too much. She ended up limiting her minutes when she started getting into foul trouble, eventually getting called for her fifth and fouling out with 6:15 left in the game.

This didn't faze Robinson, though, who took her seat on the bench accompanied by a round of applause. The way Ellis puts it, not a whole lot fazes Robinson. Interestingly enough, while she is as aggressive as they come on the defensive side of the ball – she broke the Minnesota State high school record for career steals with 776 – aggressiveness is not her usual demeanor.

"Angel is a more of a calm and laid back type of player," Ellis said.

Robinson wouldn't disagree with that claim. Of course, she is still just trying to take it all in.

"I don't know if I'm ready yet," Robinson said. "We are working really hard. We are getting pushed in practice, and we have to get pushed so we know what it's like to play at this higher level."

Robinson said the biggest difference between high school ball and Division I ball is the conditioning in practice.

"Running wasn't really a big thing unless you were getting punished in practice," Robinson said. "Otherwise we didn't do a lot of conditioning and stuff in high school."

One thing that hasn't changed for Robinson is her team-first mentality.

"I just want to come in and play hard when I get a chance," Robinson said. "Just help my team out."

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