Anthony Robinson II wanted to return home. To Tallahassee, yes. But also to wear the garnet and gold for Florida State, a team he cheered for as a child.
And stormed the court at the Donald L. Tucker Center twice.
“I remember Dwayne Bacon and that group, was one of my favorite groups,” Robinson said. “Even rushing the court a couple times with my brother. Just opportunities like that. Being on that court and look in the stands and see where I was sitting at.”
Fast forward a decade or so: Anthony Robinson II and his brother, Amare, are together again and on the court inside the Tucker Center. The graduates of nearby Florida High, where they played for coach Charlie Ward, the Robinsons are now teammates at Florida State.
Anthony joins FSU as a transfer from Missouri. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Robinson averaged 8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists as a junior and earned All-SEC defensive team honors in his sophomore season (2024-25). He was a reliable and durable guard as a junior, starting in all 33 games and led the Tigers with 1.64 steals per game.
Amare has moved across town from Tallahassee State College, where he averaged 3.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists as a freshman. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound guard is a developmental prospect, but he also has on-court chemistry with his big brother.
“They’re both tough, though-minded,” Ward told the Osceola in late April. “They’ve impacted winning at the high school level and even at the college level. They both have a good basketball IQ, very athletic and just good people in general. Studious, you don’t have to worry about them academically. Off the court, they’re going to take care of business. They’re just great human beings. They understand about playing roles and those types of things. They’re going to unify the locker room.”
Anthony said FSU coach Luke Loucks “presented the opportunity” for the brothers to be teammates at FSU in 2026-27.
“I didn’t know in my college career that I was going to be playing with my brother,” Anthony Robinson said. “It’s an awesome opportunity and I’m very excited for it. … He’s my brother. He knows what I do and I know what he does. We feed off of each other. Just having him in practice every day, pushing me to my limits and in the game is going to be able to help me and I’m going to help him.”
Loucks is looking at a new-look roster for the season ahead. But it of course helps to have a pair of brothers who are not just good basketball players but care deeply about the program — because it’s rooted in their childhood. It’s also rooted in who they are.
“Starting with their parents, they have a great foundation for what’s good, what’s bad, how to work, how to communicate,” Loucks said. “The mom (Anicia) and the dad (Anthony) are phenomenal. The way they carry themselves, the way they communicate, they couldn’t be better if I asked them to be better just in terms of their preparation, the way they walk into the gym, there’s a presence to them. You can’t have enough of those guys on the roster.”
While Amare’s college career is about to enter year 2, Anthony is looking forward to his senior season. Anthony’s averages may not make a huge impression, but he’s capable of some big nights. He scored a career-high 20 points in a win over VMI in November and he had 19 points and eight assists as Missouri picked up a victory over Florida. Anthony also had 10 assists in a win at Kentucky on Jan. 7.
As he begins his fourth season of college basketball, Anthony is back in Tallahassee. He walks in to FSU’s Basketball Training Center and feels gratitude. Robinson went into the portal and had options in April, but it doesn’t get any closer to home than your hometown.
“I walk in every day and I say I’m living the dream. I’m very excited to be here and just soak it in every day,” Robinson said. “I saw last year it was fast and fun. I wanted to be a part of that. Having coach Luke and the staff, it’s a great atmosphere every day, fun atmosphere. We’re just trying to build something here.”
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