Basketball
Jamal was a three-year member of the varsity basketball team while here at McClancy and served as co-captain his senior year. He led that team to the CHSAA City Championship Game for the first time since the 1971 team before losing to St. Raymond’s H.S. He was named to the All-Tournament Team and the First Team All-City Teams by the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Newsday and The Tablet. Adding to his honors, Jamal received the team MVP award his senior year leading the Crusaders to a final record of 20-7. He was also selected to play for the U.S. All-Stars in the Capital City High School All-American All-Star Game at the University of Maryland’s Cole Fieldhouse against the Maryland All-Stars.
Upon graduation, Jamal was offered a number of Division 1 basketball scholarships. He chose the University of Virginia from whence he graduated in 1997. At Virginia, Jamal was named to the All-ACC Tournament Team as a freshman leading the team to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament. His senior year, he served as the captain of the ACC All-Star Team that traveled to Brazil. Several times during his college career Jamal was named “ACC Player of the Week” and at graduation, he received the Sidney Young Memorial Trophy that is given to the athlete exemplifying leadership, cooperative spirit and unselfish service in the interest of athletics at the University of Virginia.
Jamal is the first McClancy graduate to play in the N.B.A. He was a member of the Miami Heat this past season during the month of November finishing the season with the Sioux Falls Skyriders of the C.B.A. He played this past summer for the Orlando Magic in the Summer Pro-League. Prior to his stint with the Miami Heat, Jamal played in the USBL Summer League for Tampa Bay and in the Lebanon Professional League in Beirut.
Jamal Robinson was not only a basketball standout while at McClancy. As a senior, he won the Indoor and Outdoor High Jump City Championship with a leap of 6’2”.