Ross star Robinson chooses Toledo on her birthday

Destiny Robinson gave herself quite the birthday present. On Sunday, the same day the soon-to-be-senior at Fremont Ross turned 17, she announced her commitment to play Division I college basketball at the University of Toledo. Happy birthday, indeed. "I think it's just a special moment," Robinson said via phone shortly after her announcement. "I just wanted to do it on a day with meaning." Robinson chose the Rockets from an offer list that also included Bradley, Canisius and South Carolina-Upstate. She took her official visit to Toledo's campus in late July and committed less than three weeks later. "Being on the visit, it just gave me chills," Robinson said. "It was that feeling, this is where I want to be." Robinson is the first Fremont Ross girls basketball player to head to the Division I level since Dawn Zerman, who was one of the greatest players in MAC history from 1997-2000 at Kent State. "It's really cool," Ross coach Juan Vela said. "When a person finds their passion and they excel in it, it's pretty cool to see. I've been grateful to be able to witness that a lot with being around her in practice and games. It's been very enjoyable to watch her play a sport that she has a lot of love for." Interest in Robinson surged over the last year as she emerged as one of the unquestionably top players in northwest Ohio. As a junior for the Little Giants, Robinson earned Co-Player of the Year honors in the TRAC and was named second-team All-Ohio in Division I. Ross won its first district championship, and Robinson averaged 16.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.1 steals per game. The 5-foot-7 guard possess an impressive combination of ball-handling, shooting and court vision that has helped turn around a team that won five games the year before she entered high school. Last winter, the Little Giants won 22, tying a single-season program record. "With these seniors that I have — Carma (Johnson), Destiny, Abby (Cahill), Natalia (Alejandro), they've done an incredible job as far as competing and they haven't really beat themselves up with drama or other things that stop you from competing," Vela said. "They've done a good job just playing together, picking each other up and competing for the right reasons and being level-headed." Robinson's recruitment picked up slower than she or Vela had expected. She only got her first scholarship offer, from Division II Findlay, on April 12. "I was just patient," she said. "I knew my time would come eventually." Her play popped over the summer on the adidas circuit, and she couldn't be ignored any longer. "We always knew she had the talent," Vela said. "I knew she could play at the next level. She was flying under the radar for whatever reason. Once people started watching her, it was like, 'Where have you guys been?' She's gotten a lot better this past year." Robinson's growth showed in multiple big moments in the stretch run of her junior year. Late in the regular season, against a Toledo Central Catholic team ranked at the time as No. 1 in the state by Martin RPI, Robinson dropped 28 points in a 62-49 win. Of those, 18 were in the second half. She saved her greatest work for the district championship, when she put up 32 of the Little Giants' 51 points to knock off Anthony Wayne. Ross fell in a regional semifinal to Olmsted Falls, which went on to play in the final four. That tourney run has planted seeds toward another one. "I don't need to motivate them," Vela said. "They just have it within themselves to compete. As a coach, it makes it easier. It's been really fun. They're good kids, fun to be around. When it's all over, we're definitely gonna miss them." Robinson, who Vela said always puts her teammates and coaches first, only has that one group goal at the front of her mind for her final season in Fremont. "I definitely want to make a run for state," she said. "We made it to regional, so it's a goal to make it back, but I want to go farther this year, for sure." After her senior year is complete, Robinson will make the short trip to Toledo, where she's happy her family will be able to watch her play frequently. Toledo played in the 2023 NCAA Tournament after winning the Mid-American Conference tourney. Robinson will be joined in the Rockets' Class of 2024 by Toledo Christian star Kendall Braden. "I played against her when I was younger," Robinson said. "... It's cool to keep local talent local." A Division I basketball court will be exactly where Robinson was meant to be. "It feels really good," she said. "It's crazy to look back at everything I went through, and now I'm here, living a dream I've had since I was a kid." O-G's White picks Ohio State Ottawa-Glandorf star basketball player Colin White announced on Sunday that he was committing to play at Ohio State. White, a 6-foot-6 small forward, will be entering his senior season with the Titans. He averaged 20.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and four assists a game last winter while leading O-G to the Division III state finals for the second consecutive year. White has been a first-team All-Ohio selection in each of the last two seasons. White announced his decision during an interview with 247Sports, zipping off an O-G hoodie to reveal an Ohio State T-shirt.