Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of two articles profiling redshirt junior basketball player Katie Robinette.

On Oct. 23, Katie Robinette gave birth to a 7-pound, 8-ounce baby boy. Sixty days later, on Dec. 21, Robinette played nine minutes and had four points and two rebounds in her first game as a Cyclone.

Robinette is not only a student-athlete, but also a mother to her 4 1/2-month-old son, Caden Thomas.

The decision to balance all three aspects — being a student, mother and basketball player — wasn’t an easy one for Robinette to make. After finding out she was pregnant, Robinette didn’t think basketball would ever be in her near future.

“When I found out I was pregnant, I didn’t think I’d play again,” Robinette said. “I hadn’t told the coaches or my parents; I didn’t think playing basketball was an option. But after I spoke with the coaches, it turns out it was [an option], and it was the best option for me.”

ISU head coach Bill Fennelly said Robinette has a good balance of people ready to lend a hand.

“You need a lot of people to help you out, and she’s got that,” Fennelly said. “She’s got a very supportive family, and her teammates are phenomenal in helping her and understanding.

“I’ve been extremely proud of [her], and to be honest with you, it’s gone better than I thought it would up to this point.”

Robinette said the entire situation has been better than anticipated.

“It’s been very rough, obviously, with coming back from having a baby and stepping right into the Big 12 [season], learning the system and everything,” Robinette said. “I think it turned out better than I expected, because I didn’t expect it to turn out this well.”

Robinette doesn’t have to look too far for a baby-sitter.

“Everyone offers to baby-sit; a few of [my teammates] have for me,” Robinette said. “Mary Fox and Lyndsey Medders love to come see [Caden], so I’m never really desperate for baby-sitters.”

Fox said Caden is a very good baby , and she enjoys watching him.

“I like to [baby-sit Caden], just so Katie can get out of the house and go shopping and do other stuff that she can’t do all the time,” Fox said. “[Caden’s] fun; he’s already laughing.”

Fennelly said Robinette told the team herself she was pregnant. That spoke true to her personality.

“She trusted her teammates, and she wanted them to understand and wanted them to be a part of what she was going through,” Fennelly said. “[Her teammates] have been tremendous. The support they’ve given Katie is a great example of how they’ve helped someone through a pretty tough time.”

Fox said the team is behind Robinette unconditionally.

“A lot of people might look down on [the situation], but we just cherish it, and we are happy for her,” Fox said. “We know that she’s happy, and we just back her up no matter what.”

Fox said Robinette has also found a way to fit in a social life between the homework, diapers and scouting reports.

“I have a class with Katie and she works hard in that class,” Fox said. “I think she’s a great mother and obviously a great player. She even has a social life as well, so I think she juggles all four [aspects] well.”

At South Sioux City (Neb.) High School, Robinette led her team to three Nebraska Class B state titles in four years. USA Today named her the No. 1 high school junior in the nation, and Robinette won the 2001 Nebraska Miss Basketball award during her senior year.

After a standout high school career, Robinette attended the University of Nebraska, where she was voted the preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year by the league’s coaches.

“I was either going to come [to Iowa State] or Nebraska originally,” Robinette said. “I just chose Nebraska, because I was from there.”

The summer following her freshman year, Robinette made the decision to transfer to Iowa State.

“I didn’t really like the atmosphere [at Nebraska],” Robinette said. “I like Iowa State better, and I feel more comfortable with this team.”

After transferring to Iowa State, Robinette was forced to sit out a year because of Big 12 rules.

“Coming to Iowa State was a huge sacrifice [for Katie],” Fennelly said. “I think it says a lot about her willingness to do what she thought was important in her life, a real desire to be a part of what we’re doing here.”

Robinette averaged 7.9 points and 3.5 rebounds for the Cyclones this regular season.

At the moment, Robinette said, basketball is the most demanding part of her daily life.

“Basketball is more challenging right now, but before it was being a mom,” Robinette said. “It was hard to get up all the time in the middle of the night when Caden wouldn’t sleep and when he was grumpy. That was pretty challenging, but right now I’d say the hardest part of my life is managing basketball.”

Before Robinette’s return, Fennelly said the Cyclones lacked depth in the post.

“Katie’s an explosive athlete,” Fennelly said. “She’s someone who’s as dynamic of a player as we’ve ever had here.”

Robinette’s rebounding and legitimate, consistent low-post scoring have helped Iowa State vastly, Fennelly said.

“Now that we’re coming to the end, she’s someone who can be a big factor in how we do or how we don’t do down the stretch,” Fennelly said.

Robinette said she’s still not in good shape; she worked out throughout the first seven months of her pregnancy until a sore back was too much to bear.

Fennelly said Robinette’s hard work has paid off, and her conditioning is improving as the season winds down.

“[Katie’s conditioning] has gotten a lot better,” Fennelly said. “I think you have to [remember] she’s stepping into the highest level you can play. It’s about timing and it’s about knowledge of what you’re doing.”

Robinette said she’s starting to see progress, and she added it’s good just to be able to play basketball again.

“I’m getting there,” Robinette said. “I’m able to play a lot more minutes now than I was. “But it’s great [to be on the court again]. I love playing at home, but even the away games it just feels good to get out there and contribute.”

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