While most of his fellow Villanova Basketball newcomers have had since early June to acclimate themselves to their campus home, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl has had some catching up to do.
 
            Robinson-Earl, you see, spent a multi-week interlude in June and July representing the United States at the U19 World Cup in Greece. It was a roaring success, as Team USA rolled to a 7-0 record, clinching the gold medal with a 93-79 victory over Mali. Over the course of the tournament the 6-9 Robinson-Earl finished second on Team USA in scoring at 12.6 points per game and second in rebounding at 6,3 caroms per contest. He accomplished all of it in an average of 19.9 minutes per outing while connecting on 60 percent of his field goal attempts.
 
            As preludes to a college career go, this was a good one.
 
            "It was a quick transition," noted Robinson-Earl of June. "I graduated (from IMG Academy) and flew to Philadelphia the next day. I was here for a week before we flew out on June 15 for the Trials."
 
            Three 2019-20 Wildcats were on that flight to Colorado Springs, with classmates Justin Moore and Eric Dixon among the 31 athletes invited to try out. Robinson-Earl earned a spot on the final roster and was off to Greece as part of a diverse unit that included players who had already played a year of college basketball and others that competed as high school juniors in 2018-19. Robinson-Earl was the only individual in the class that enters college this fall.
 
            "It was a long experience," noting of a trek that began on June 15 and ended on July 8, "but it was fun."
 
            Before his departure for Colorado Springs, though, Robinson-Earl participated in several Villanova team workouts.
 
            "The first (workout) was like a smack in the face," he says with a smile. "It was something completely new that I've never done before. But I think over the first couple of those (workouts) I was able to learn some of the details that we like to do here while on the court."
 
            The USA Trials experience was familiar to Robinson-Earl. This was his third such foray. Last year, he was part of the 2018 U18 USA squad that earned itself a gold medal.
 
            "It was a good group," states Robinson-Earl of the 2019 team that journeyed to Greece, a spot he had never visited previously. "I was the only member of the class of 2019 on the final roster. I wouldn't say it was awkward, but I thought it was kind of cool to be the only person in your class.
 
            "There were older guys who had a lot of experience from U17 and U16, who had won gold medals. They are college players who brought that experience to the team. And then we had younger dudes who have played internationally before and brought that experience."
 
            A few additional practices in Colorado Springs and an 11-hour flight to Greece helped the final roster members get acquainted.
 
            "By the time we got there, we were already pretty locked in," he notes.
 
            FIBA has a rulebook not identical to the those used in America. Given his prior work for Team USA, though, Robinson-Earl was quickly comfortable in this setting.
 
            "The ball is completely different from over here, so you have to adjust to it," he states. "There are a lot of little rules you have to be aware of. It's a lot more aggressive, they don't really call a lot of fouls. You have to fight through that."
 
            Team USA fell behind early in the title game against Mali but slowly dug their way out of the ditch as Robinson-Earl scored 13 first half points to help the Americans grab a 42-40 halftime advantage. The USA squad pulled away in the second half, though Robinson-Earl did not see further action as a precaution after suffering a first-half injury.
 
            "I've won two gold medals now – it's something kind of cool to have on your resume," he states. "It's a select few who can say they've won a gold medal so to be a part of that is pretty awesome."
 
            As he looks ahead to 2019-20, Robinson-Earl is confident that his sojourn to Greece has enhanced his readiness for college basketball.
 
            "We were playing against a lot of older guys," he states. "So just seeing that level of intensity and how to be smart on the court really helps."
 
            The Villanova coaching staff kept tabs – usually via text – with Robinson-Earl throughout his trip. Those messages all echoed a familiar hoops theme – "they encouraged me to play hard, defend, and rebound," he adds.
 
            Upon his return from Greece, the staff elected to have Robinson-Earl take a break from basketball activities for the week of July 8, though he was a full participant in strength workouts. Robinson-Earl expects to resume full basketball activities this week in the Davis Center.
 
            Now that he's settled back into a routine, Robinson-Earl has enjoyed being around his Villanova teammates and learning more about his new campus home. He'll complete the second summer session later this month before returning home for a respite. He'll then join classmates Bryan Antoine, Chris Arcidiacono, Dixon, and Moore for freshman orientation at Villanova later in August ahead of the fall semester.
 
            "It's gone well," Robinson-Earl states. "Chris was the only person I hadn't met before getting here. I've known Bryan for a long time. We met and became good friends already. I've played against Eric for a while and have been around Justin in AAU. It's been easy bonding. I feel like we've all got great personalities so that just makes it easier."
 
            The returning veterans, led by juniors Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels, have already offered guidance to the new crew. and the full squad has taken plenty of time to grow comfortable with one another this summer.
 
            "We've been hanging out in the dorms, going out to eat," he says of the 2019-20 Wildcats. "We've all been sticking together, and I think that will show on the court."
 
            Jeremiah Robinson-Earl's first summer as a Wildcat has, admittedly, been a bit of a whirlwind. That is a small price to be paid in exchange for a lifetime worth of memories, a gold medal, and invaluable lessons learned from facing elite international competition.
 
             "It was a lot of fun," he states. "I met a lot of good people, got to see Greece, and played with and against some great players."