Oregon linebacker Tyrell Robinson just finished his freshman football season and said he and his twin brother, Tyree, wanted to play basketball this year. However, neither player made Dana Altman’s roster.

In an interview with the Emerald on Feb. 11, Robinson talked about why he and his brother aren’t on the team and how hard it would be to give up basketball for good. Below is a partial transcript from the interview.

Why aren’t you or your brother playing basketball?

“It wasn’t our decision to not play. I kind of don’t even know what’s going on, to be honest. I kind of want to know what’s going on. I was ready to play when the (football) season was over, me and my brother, and I just didn’t get no call. We kind of just felt like we weren’t even needed because of the depth of the bench. There are about 19 players on there, so we thought maybe there wasn’t enough room, enough lockers available, so we kind of just waited it out. I’m still kind of waiting on the answer, to be honest. I look at the team and I miss (basketball). I don’t want to hang up my shoes.”

Do you think the basketball staff felt like they didn’t need you two?

“I made phone calls with the head coach (Altman) and I just didn’t get a response back, so I kind of don’t know what’s going on. It’s hard to go to the practice and talk to the coaches because you need an access code to Matthew Knight, so I’ve kind of just been going with the flow and just waiting on the call.”

How long have you been playing basketball?

“I’ve been playing basketball all of my life. Me and my brother actually got recruited here for basketball before we got football scholarships.”

How much do you think you and your brother would help the basketball team?

“I don’t want to make it seem like because my brother and I aren’t playing that they need us or anything like that. But me and my brother have been playing basketball for so long, we’ve played on the high stages, and we kind of know what it takes to win. We’ve been playing with Dominic Artis and he’s kind of been wondering why we haven’t (joined the team). That’s kind of where I got my feedback from, Dominic Artis.”

Could you see yourself choosing to quit basketball to focus on football like Arik Armstead?

“I think if I improve this year (in football) going off from last year, I think I might make that choice. But it’s just hard giving up basketball when you’ve played it so long. I love basketball with a passion.”

How much does each sport help the other?

“I feel like basketball helps me and my brother out a lot, especially for me playing linebacker and my defensive stance. Just sliding across the floor, picking your feet up and jumping and just being an athlete. When I carry it out here to the football field, there’s some stuff I can do that some football players can’t do.”

Follow Victor Flores on Twitter @vflores415