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28 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 4 f Merrillville's Shawn Streck, considered a top contender for a state championship. Who weighs as much as 65 pounds more than Robinson. Robinson promptly won, a 7-4 decision, the only thing that kept Streck from enter- ing the state finals unbeaten. Gelen Robinson's tough guy credentials? Confirmed. "He's so, so tough," Clay-Erving said. "When that hap- pened in first grade, that's when I knew he was tough. He's still that way. He will not tell you when he's injured. "Gelen has a high tolerance for pain. Nothing hurts him. I have to watch him closely because he wouldn't tell anyone. He would probably play with a broken arm or leg." Purdue is banking on Robinson only adding to the lore. Fans had been salivating at the prospect of adding Boilermaker legend Glenn Robinson's son as soon as Gelen Robinson showed interest in Purdue. Robinson made it official on Feb. 5, and the fervor isn't expected to quell soon. They see him as the ever-elusive four-star recruit — the only one in this class — who can help change the program. They see him as the player who fits the mold of what a Boilermaker should be: A tough-minded, passionate, physically imposing competitor who thrives on work and will be a gleaming representative for the program off the field. The coaches hold Robinson in the same esteem. He was the first recruit they offered in the class. He was at a position of desperate need, targeted as a player who could be an impact guy immediately at line- backer. Linebackers coach Marcus Freeman said he was "re- ally excited" to land Robinson with the expectation "for him to come in and play." No pressure. Really, Robinson said. "Actually, I turn (those expectations) into motivation because I obviously want to be that person that comes in and starts right away," he said. "In the back of my head, I know it is a possibility that I won't start, that maybe there are some kids better than me. That's fine. The best guy will play. So I take it as motivation, and I try to work to those standards that everyone sets for me. Because that's just how I am. I want to be at the top, and I want to meet expectations." Grand aspirations Mount Carmel was the logical choice. It's a private school that is a proven, powerhouse foot- ball program in Illinois, one of the all-time winningest schools in the state and winners of 10 state champion- ships before Robinson's potential arrival. But Gelen Robinson wasn't interested in joining a program with tradition, being one of many marquee players to litter the defense. He was attracted to the underdog. He was attracted to the pitch made by then-new Lake Central coach Brett St. Germain, who told Robinson he could be the face of change and help turn around a pro- gram that had won a combined five games in 2008 and 2009. "Being in a new program, it's a fresh start," Robinson said. "It's a way to build the program back, and I wanted to be a part of that." He certainly was. In Robinson's freshman season, the Indians were only 2-8. But then, in 2011, they went 8-2. Then 8-3. Then 9-3 this season and won the school's first sectional champi- onship since 1999. "We've completely turned the program around," Rob- inson said, pride welling in his voice. So when friends asked why Purdue? Robinson tells them that story. The same motivation that fueled him to stay at Lake Central is what led him to choose and stick with the Boilermakers, despite coming off a 1-11 season and when others big-time offers streamed in after his com- mitment. He sees promise in Darrell Hazell. He sees potential in his teammates. He sees possibility in the program. "I think, in me, it's just I want to be a part of something great," Robinson said. "I think it's more of a challenge and it's more of a competition, building from nothing than already going to a program that had everything." And he knows what Purdue needs to continue in its mission to "reshape, rebuild, return." Leadership. Winners.