The labels come easily. It is easy to describe brilliance. National player of the year. All-American. Lottery pick.

There is absolutely, positively not a shadow of a doubt that Purdue's Glenn Robinson is the best college basketball player in this nation. No one will argue that. No one can.

But who is this guy? Beyond the 28.2 points and 10.5 rebounds and the gallons of spit that Dick Vitale has wasted on him. Beyond the superhuman quickness and the incredible inside-outside effectiveness that he will bring to Rec Hall at 8 p.m. today.

Perhaps one should ask Purdue Coach Gene Keady. You see, the media crunch has grown to such mammoth proportions that Robinson's own coach has become his personal secretary.

"He's got a bunch of interviews lined up," Keady said Monday. "The L.A. Times is here right now."

OK coach, then perhaps you can tell us. Who is Glenn Robinson?

"He's very team-oriented," Keady said. "With a guy like Glenn Robinson, you get the questions about going pro. Last year he had kind of a tough time with that."

This year, he jokes about it. Why don't you ask teammate Matt Waddell about going pro? The 6-foot-8 junior joked with reporters in the preseason.

He could be making millions right now, shooting jumpers for a living. He is a can't-miss prospect. But he chose to stay. Why?

Brace yourself. Apparently, Glenn Robinson is enjoying college. After all, he has only played at Purdue for one-and-a-half years.

"He knows his place as far as educational aspects are concerned, too," Keady said. "He really wants to get his degree."

The physical education major is the hottest thing to come out of Gary, Ind., since Jermaine Jackson. The guy has four pages to himself in this year's Purdue media guide, replete with gushing quotes. Take this sample tome from Iowa Coach Tom Davis: "Robinson is special, there's no question. He creates a lot of problems and lives up to his billing."

The 1991 Indiana Mr. Basketball leads his team in dunks and in rebounds. The former Proposition 48 casualty once hit 5-of-5 three-pointers aginst Michigan. How do you stop a player who can do it all?

Apparently, no one knows.

"We have nobody who can guard Glenn," Michigan Coach Steve Fisher said. "But no one else does either."

And so on.

He has a handful of nicknames, one for each position. And the guy can truly play every position. Call him G-Rob, G-Force, G-Man, G-Money, Big Dog . . .

Illinois Coach Lou Henson called him "Superman." Penn State Coach Bruce Parkhill compared him to Magic Johnson.

But what lies beyond the nicknames? Glenn Robinson is swamped -- no time for interviews. So perhaps Ron Heflin, Robinson's coach at Roosevelt High School, can shed some light.

"Glenn's a very quiet kid. He doesn't talk a whole lot," Heflin said. "Off the court, he's a very private person. I don't think people realize how shy the kid is."

Like all great athletes, he is driven. Robinson rebounded from his Prop 48 status and is on track to graduate in four years -- just another example of the ice in his veins. On the court, the latest display was a game-winning shot against Northwestern.

"Glenn is a very focused person on what he's supposed to do," Heflin said. "Once he's focused in, he can do just about anything he wants to do. He has a maturity about himself."

Yet there is also a childish immaturity, a kid that loves practical jokes. A kid that used to wrestle playfully with girls in the high school's gym.

"They would say, 'Coach, make him stop, he's playing again,' " Heflin laughed.

Apparently, they don't realize that no one can stop Glenn Robinson.

But what makes this guy so special that Keady -- he of the bulldog disposition -- simply gushes?

"The best thing about him is that he doesn't think he's a big deal," Keady said. "He's just happy going one-on-one, with nobody watching, as he is playing on national TV."

Like it or not, Glenn Robinson is a big deal. A very big deal.

Apparently, everybody else seems to know that.