Where Her Story Started: Paige Robinson Gets Her Name On The Okaw Valley Court

Bethany is home to roughly 1,200 people… and Paige Robinson scored more than twice that many points in her college career, one that took her to the professional ranks and abroad.

This afternoon, the gym where it all started got her name. Okaw Valley CUSD #302 dedicated the basketball court at Okaw Valley High School in honor of its 2018 graduate. Robinson left Bethany as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,125 points, then won a National Player of the Year Award at Drury (D-II), and a Conference Player of the Year Award at Illinois State. After a five-year collegiate career, she was drafted by the Dallas Wings (WNBA) in the 3rd Round of the 2023 Draft. Her professional career has since taken her across Europe, and into an Atlanta Dream training camp.

It all began in the Okaw Valley gym. The Decatur Herald-Review named Robinson its ‘Area Player of the Year’ twice, making her only the fifth player in the award’s 40-year history to win it more than once, and the Associated Press put her on its Second Team All-State list. As a senior in 2017-18 she averaged 24.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.7 steals, and 2.6 blocks per game, hit 96 three-pointers and shot 48 percent from the floor. She led the Timberwolves to a 29-5 record and the first state finals appearance in program history. During the state tournament she scored 22, 32, 36 and 26 in consecutive games, including 32 points and 11 rebounds in the Class 1A semifinal against Schlarman. Okaw Valley finished fourth at the 2018 IHSA Girls Basketball State Finals. A year earlier, as a junior, she had averaged 21.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.4 steals. Cromwell Media Group of Mattoon covered the Timberwolves’ state bid in 2018, one that cemented her status as the best to ever play at Okaw Valley High School.

From there, Robinson headed to Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, and made an immediate impact. She was the Great Lakes Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, averaged 14.4 points and led the league with 89 three-pointers, the fifth most in a single season in program history. Her sophomore year brought another First Team All-GLVC selection and 71 more threes. Then came 2020-21, the year that put her on the national map. Robinson was named NCAA Division II National Player of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and won the Ron Lenz Award from the Division II Conference Commissioners Association. She was also the GLVC Player of the Year, an NCAA Division II All-American, and a Second Team Academic All-American. She led the conference in scoring at 21.4 points per game while adding 5.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists. She was MVP of both the GLVC Tournament and the NCAA Midwest Regional, and Drury reached the national championship game.

That season also included a triple-double, only the second in Drury history, with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists against Missouri S&T. As a senior she earned All-American honors for the second straight year and averaged 21 points a game despite missing two months of the regular season. On Feb. 19, 2022, she broke Drury’s career record for three-pointers, finishing with 271, and she closed out her Lady Panthers career with 2,016 points, second most in school history. Drury went 123-8 and won four GLVC championships during her time there, with two regional titles and two Final Four trips, and one National Championship game appearance.

Robinson then returned to Central Illinois as a graduate transfer at Illinois State University, and she certainly made her one season in Normal count. She was named the Missouri Valley Conference ‘Jackie Stiles Player of the Year’ and the Newcomer of the Year, only the second player in conference history to win both in the same season. She also made All-MVC First Team, averaged 18.3 points to rank third in the league, and scored 584 points, the fourth most in a single season by a Redbird. Her 37-point night against Wisconsin on November 20th tied for the fourth most points in a game in program history, and she did it while going a perfect 7-of-7 from three-point range. She started all 32 games, knocked down 61 three-pointers, and was part of the first Illinois State team to win a Missouri Valley regular season title since 2010.

On April 10th, 2023, the Dallas Wings made her the 31st overall pick in the third round of the WNBA Draft. She was the first women’s basketball player in Illinois State history to be drafted, and the sixth Missouri Valley player ever picked. She was also the first Drury Lady Panther ever selected. Dallas kept her WNBA rights heading into the 2024 season, and Robinson took her game overseas, signing with Herner TC in Germany and also playing for IDK Euskotren in Spain’s Liga Femenina Endesa. She has also suited up for the Uganda Gazelles national team, including at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket in Abidjan.

This Spring, the WNBA came calling again. The Atlanta Dream signed her to a training camp contract on April 13th, giving her a shot at a spot on the 2026 roster. The Dream waived her on April 27th as they trimmed down to their opening-night roster, and at the time she was still waiting on her first WNBA regular season appearance. Robinson is back playing overseas now, still chasing her ultimate goal of logging minutes in a WNBA game.

Today, the Bethany girl who learned the game at Okaw Valley came home to see her name on that very floor. Robinson is the daughter of Brett and Lori Robinson. For more information about the dedication ceremony, contact Okaw Valley Athletic Director Brooks Inman at 217-665-3631 or inmanb@okawvalley.org.

Congratulations to Paige on her immense success and the honor of a lifetime from her hometown high school!

Paige Robinson: Accomplishments/Accolades

Okaw Valley High School (Class of 2018)

School’s all-time leading scorer with 2,125 points
Decatur Herald-Review Area Player of the Year (2x)
Associated Press Second Team All-State
Senior season: 24.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.7 steals, 2.6 blocks per game
96 three-pointers as a senior, 29-5 record, first state finals appearance in school history, fourth place at the 2018 IHSA State Finals…

Drury University (2018-2022)

2,016 career points (2nd most in school history)
271 career three-pointers (Program Record)
2020-21 NCAA Division II National Player of the Year (WBCA)
2020-21 Ron Lenz Award Winner (D2CCA)
2x NCAA Division II All-American
4x First Team All-GLVC, 2020-21 GLVC Player of the Year, 2018-19 GLVC Freshman of the Year
2x GLVC Tournament MVP, 2021 NCAA Midwest Regional MVP
2021 NCAA Division II national championship game appearance
Four GLVC championships and two Final Four trips, 123-8 record
First Drury player ever selected in the WNBA Draft

Illinois State University (2022-23)

MVC Jackie Stiles Player of the Year and MVC Newcomer of the Year
All-MVC First Team
18.3 points per game, third in the Missouri Valley
584 points, fourth most in a single season in Illinois State history
37-point game vs. Wisconsin, tied for fourth most in a single game in program history
61 three-pointers, 13th most in a single season in program history
First Illinois State player drafted into the WNBA

Professional Career