Born and raised in Las Vegas, Noah Robotham is a point guard who left Bishop Gorman High School as the Gaels' all-time winningest player with 112 victories under head coach and former Runnin' Rebel Grant Rice. He went on to sign with Akron and would make 85 starts for the Zips before deciding to transfer home to the desert. After sitting out the required season, Robotham's court experience has made him a team leader as a senior. That's especially true during Mountain West play as he currently ranks first in the league in assists while averaging 9.8 points vs. conference foes. As his college basketball journey nears an end, here is his story in his own words:
 
iREBEL by Noah Robotham
 
I fell in love with basketball at an early age. I have a brother who is five years older than me and he played basketball and I just followed in his footsteps. He's one of the people that I look up to in my life and I wanted to be like him growing up. He is definitely the reason why I fell in love with basketball.


Growing up in Las Vegas was very normal to me because it's all I know. I grew up playing a lot of sports -- basketball, baseball, football, swimming and running track. My parents always kept me busy while I wasn't in school. Thankfully, I met a lot of great friends that I still have to this day due to all the memorable times competing together. I went to Our Lady of Las Vegas from Pre-K through 8th grade. A lot of my friends wanted to stick together so we just played different sports through the seasons and it kept us busy. I was a busy kid growing up, but my life has always revolved around sports.


I chose to go to Akron because of their recent history of winning. When I left Bishop Gorman, I chose Akron over Missouri, Boston College and Oregon State. I was very fortunate to win a lot of games in high school and going to a program that has won at a high level and would make me better a player and person on and off the court was extremely important to me.


The experience was important to my personal development. It was the first time in my life that I was completely independent and had to make daily decisions on my own. I learned how to manage my time and prioritize what was necessary to my development. Time management is so important when you get to college because all of the obligations you have (or you think you have). Also, I learned how to live with other people. I lived with my teammates and we had to designate times to clean, figure out when the washer/dryer were available, what to eat for dinner, etc. I enjoyed figuring that stuff out because it revolves around communication and I find that is a skill that carries you through life.


I came back to Las Vegas for many reasons. One of the biggest reasons was to play in front of my family and friends. I grew up a UNLV fan and to have the opportunity to be home was ideal. When I met Coach (Marvin) Menzies, we had an instant connection and I felt he could develop me as a person and player. The player/coach relationship is pivotal in basketball, especially being a point guard, so I wanted to be taught by someone who I felt genuinely cared about me but would challenge me to become better.


I have been through my fair share of trials and tribulations in my life thus far. The biggest one was when I tore my ACL in March 2015. It was the first time I had a significant injury and was forced to sit out basketball for a long period of time. During that time away, a lot of things were put into perspective for me. I went through months of rehabilitation that tested me mentally, physically and spiritually. I learned more about my body and the importance of stretching and doing Pilates -- stuff I really never had put much thought into. My family played such an integral part during that time because they kept me upbeat and motivated me to become better. I learned that no matter what you deal with in life, it's all about perspective. Very often, we are faced with challenges and roadblocks and that's okay, it's all about how you deal with them and use them to become better. It's like that saying, "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it."
 
My advice to kids is to work hard and always believe in yourself. Growing up, I had a lot of people share their opinion of me and try to set limits on my potential but I always just stayed in the gym and worked through it. I live by the saying, "Life is a marathon, not a sprint" because it means that we must continue to push forward in life -- the end game isn't the bad game you just played or the game winner you just made, but rather getting better every day, pushing yourself constantly and enjoying the journey. If you don't believe in yourself, no one will.
 
I don't think there's anything people would be surprised to learn about me. I'm a laid back person who enjoys spending time at home and relaxing. My favorite off-the-court activity is watching movies. I tend to be pretty busy nowadays, so anytime I can relax and decompress by "getting away" by watching movies or binging a Netflix series is something I'm inclined to do.
 
It's been a dream come true playing for my own city. Las Vegas is my home and being from here has provided me many opportunities. I enjoy going out and competing in front of people I care about and representing the city that has made a lot of my dreams turn into reality. Every time I put on the jersey, it's like being a part of great history and it's something I'm very proud of doing because I know the significance of those four letters and what it means to the people of Las Vegas.


UNLV returns home to face San Diego State Feb. 23 starting at 7:00 p.m. For tickets, visit UNLVTickets or call (702) 739-FANS (3267).