Clayton State’s Downs, Robinson selected to play in Southern Classic Roundball Invitational
Laker newcomers will play for SEBL-Baseline in premier summer league event

MORROW, Ga. – August 13, 2009 – They have yet to lace up their sneakers as Clayton State Lakers, but already Tim Downs and Brandon Robinson are beginning to turn heads and raise eyebrows.

The two newcomers to the Clayton State fold this upcoming season have been getting a head start this summer with the rest of their Laker teammates, playing in the SEBL (Southern Exposure Basketball League) in the metro Atlanta area. And this coming weekend, both Downs and Robinson will compete in the seventh-annual Southern Classic Roundball Invitational in Marietta.

The event, which first started in 2002, is one of the premier Pro-Am summer basketball events in the Southeast. Downs and Robinson will be a part of the SEBL-Baseline squad, which also includes former Clayton State standouts B.J. Puckett and Jamal Johnson.

"It’s an honor for two of our players to be selected to play in the Southern Classic Roundball Invitational," said Clayton State head coach Gordon Gibbons. "The opportunity to play against teams that include past and present NBA players will be a great experience for them both."

The signing of Downs this past November was a big coup for the Clayton State staff, and he made Laker fans anticipate his arrival with a stellar sophomore season at Palm Beach Community College.

Downs, a 5-foot-7, 185-pound point guard averaged 21 points, five assists and three steals a game while shooting 43 percent from 3-point range. He ranked 14th in the nation in scoring, 24th in steals, 30th in assists and 44th in 3-point field goal shooting percentage.

Downs was a first team NJCAA All-Region VIII selection and NJCAA National Player of the Week for Feb. 27. He finished his two-year career at Palm Beach with 1,041 points. With that in mind, Gibbons is anxious for Downs to give some much-needed offensive firepower for Clayton State at the point this upcoming season.

The same is true with Robinson. A native of Lake Wales, Fla., the 6-6, 180-pound Robinson was a two-year starter at both small forward and power forward for head coach Bobby Washington the past two seasons at Seminole. He is set to play small forward the next two seasons at Clayton State

This season, Robinson led Seminole in scoring, averaging 18 points and six rebounds a game and earning first team FCCAA All-Mid-Florida Conference honors and second team NJCAA All-Region honors in the process. He shot 45 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3-point range. As a freshman, Robinson averaged 12 points and four rebounds a game, while shooting 49 percent from the field and 34 percent from 3-point range.