'One Last Game': Deerfield Basketball Player Ready For All-Star Tilt

DEERFIELD, IL — For Charlie Robin, Sunday's Lake County All-Star boys basketball game will be memorable. The Deerfield High School senior was one of only 20 boys selected for the accolade out of 30 area high school teams. Robin was the lone selection from DHS.

"It's definitely an honor to be selected to play in this game," Robin, a two-year varsity starter and captain, tells Patch. "We have been playing against each other for as long as I can remember, and to be able to come together and play one last game is very special."

At the same time, Robin admits he would trade away playing in the all-star game for one last contest with his Warriors' teammates. Deerfield was knocked out of the IHSA playoffs regional semifinal round on Feb. 21 by Lake View.

"I'm still processing the loss. It has definitely been a tough pill to swallow," Robin said.

Looking back at the 2023-2024 campaign, Robin said there were numerous bright spots, including transitioning from the Central Suburban League North to South.

"Competing as the smallest school in the entire Central Suburban League was a formidable challenge," Robin said. "However, I'm incredibly proud of how our team rose to the occasion. It would have been very easy at times to get down on each other, but we never did. Every game we played in, we fought."

Despite a tougher schedule than Robin and his teammates had the last few years, the Warriors were still able to secure a No. 3 seed out of 19 teams in the postseason.

Robin is quick to point out how important the "brotherhood" and chemistry he had at DHS with teammates like Quinn Schimanski, Zach Friedman, Drew Rodgers, Jake Pollack, Evan Nagler, Noah Jacobson, Sam Hanus, Aaron Pelts and Liam Cooper, was for his growth as a player under coach Dan McKendrick.

"I just feel very grateful that I got to experience the last four years in the way I did. The pandemic without question impacted my first couple of years," Robin said of a team that won a conference championship his junior year and 40 games over the past two seasons. "At the end of the day, I wouldn't trade the last four years for anything. Getting to go out and compete every day in practice with my teammates is something I will always cherish."

In terms of what's next for Robin, though he's received some interest, playing basketball in college doesn't appear to be in the cards. Instead, Robin, who said no matter what he does, he'll always look at his himself as a basketball player, is planning to pursue something very common in his family.

"I would say deciding between continuing basketball and pursuing a premed track has been the most challenging decision of my life," Robin said. "At the end of the day, my lifelong dream has always been to follow in my great-grandfather's, grandfather's, and father's footsteps and become a physician. The legacy of medicine in my family is a powerful motivator, driving me towards the dream of helping others."

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