Lewistown alum Royce Robinson commits to Montana State men’s basketball

Committed for several months to play basketball next season at Carroll College after a decorated high school career at Lewistown, Robinson, like everyone else involved with the Fighting Saints’ men’s hoops program, was left stunned when coach Kurt Paulson told the team that he was resigning from his post after five seasons.

Days later on social media, the 6-foot-5 Robinson announced that he was reopening his recruitment because of the news, though he noted in a phone interview with The Billings Gazette and 406mtsports.com Wednesday that he wasn’t ruling out a Carroll return with a new coaching staff. 

“Nobody expected him to resign like that,” Robinson said of Paulson’s departure, “and it really left me kind of really confused on what I was going to do.

“I decided it would be best if I decommitted, but really all that meant was I was giving Carroll a chance to recruit me again with their new coach. But then what that led to was some other opportunities arising.”

Where those opportunities eventually led to was Bozeman — and Robinson, an all-stater and state champion with the Golden Eagles, will test the waters at the NCAA Division I level now because of it.

Robinson told the Montana State men’s basketball coaching staff during a visit Tuesday and most everyone else on social media a day later that he was committing to the program as a preferred walk-on for the 2023-24 season, giving the Bobcats roster under first-year coach Matt Logie some additional local flair.

One of the driving forces behind Lewistown’s first Class A state championship since 1979 this past season — which ended with a perfect 24-0 record — Robinson will join fellow walk-on and junior Carter Ash (Bozeman) as in-state players currently slated to be on the Cats’ roster next year. 

Robinson said that after his Carroll decommitment, he reached out to MSU’s staff to gauge interest and they responded quickly, getting him down to campus to meet before the accomplished football player takes part in the annual Montana East-West Shrine Game this weekend in Butte. He positively described both his talks with Logie and the thought of playing at the highest level in his home state, noting that he’s looking to “represent Montana well.”

“Obviously, every Montana kid wants to be a Cat or a Griz,” Robinson said. “The way I play fits in with their style and I just really appreciated the way they treated me, so I figured I can’t pass on that opportunity.

“I got along great with (Logie). He was really, really good at communicating what his situation was for me. He’s won everywhere he’s been, and I don’t think that’s going to stop now.”