8B
SPORTS / WEDNESDAY. MARCH 3. 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
NBA
Collins sits on borderline in draft
RY TIM DWYFR
tdwyer@kansan.com
Sherron Collins was never supposed to make it to senior night. He wasn't a four-year player. He was too good to stick around until his senior year.
Or so people said.
Collins, a senior guard who could have bolted for the NBA draft after either of the past two seasons, stunned the college basketball world by sticking around for one more year.
But now, with just one more home game in his prolific Kansas career, it's time to look forward. On the horizon for Collins lies a future in the NBA, starting, no doubt, in late June with the draft.
"I think I can play in the NBA," Collins said. "I think I've shown that I can run a team, score, do everything a point guard can do."
Where he'll be drafted is a point of contention for many.
Collins is a winner. There's no denying that. But as much
as he can be a top-flight scorer and assist man at times, questions persist about where he will end up.
At 5-foot-11, Collins isn't blessed with premier NBA size, even for the point guard position. And after some injuries derailed him earlier in his career, Collins lacks the must-see explosiveness he had coming out of high school.
FORMER JAYHAWKS CURRENTLY IN THE NBA
"He used to dunk on guys in half-court offense, so he's not quite as explosive, but he's a much better basketball player," Kansas coach Bill Self said.
Darrell Arthur (2006-2008) Memphis CedarLier
Memphis Grizzlies
Mario Chalmers (2005)
2008) Miami Heat
Collins is the type of performer who makes the players around him better. Since last year, he has lowered his turnover numbers and increased his three-point field goal percentage. He boasts NBA-caliber speed and strength, and Self constantly mentions Collins' high basketball IQ.
(2008) Miami Heat Darnell Jackson (200
"The other thing about him that is unbelievable is how smart he is," Self said. "The guy is smart, and the guys' figured out how to read people and he understands
Darnell Jackson (2004- 2008) Cleveland Cavaliers
(2008) Cleveland Cavaliers
Brandon Rush (2005-2008)
Indiana Pacers
Julian Wright (2005-2007)
New Orleans Hornets
Drew Gooden (1999-2002)
Los Angeles Clippers
NBADraft.net projected that Collins would be the first pick in the second round. DraftExpress.com put him at No. 29 overall, the second-to-last pick in the first round. And ESPN.com's Chad Ford wrote that Collins was a borderline first-round talent, but that winning a national title would cinch him into that slot.
Los Angeles Clippers
Paul Pierce (1995-1998) Boston Celtics
Nick Collison (1999-2003)
Oklahoma City Thunder
Chicago Bulls
Kirk Hinrich (1999-2003)
Chicago Bulls
For the moment, that's exactly what Collins is focused on.
"Right now, I'm not thinking about the NBA at all," Collins said. "I'm thinking about trying to win a title and trying to get some things done here. Of course it'll be there after the season and I'd like to play there. I'm real positive I will be playing there next year."
Edited by Katie Blankenau
BALANCE (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Collins will have to be unselfish while still making the big plays when the Jayhawks need them most.
Fans have seen both sides of Collins. His most famous selfless play came in the National Championship game of 2008, when he dished a stumbling pass to teammate Mario Chalmers. The star from Chicago slid on the ground after the play and can't even be seen in the famous "Mario's Miracle" posters.
But sometimes people forget
the play that really brought the momentum in Kansas' favor in that fateful game. With 1:54 left, Collins stole an inbound pass, then drained a three from the corner just seconds later. It was Collins' singular ability to make a play that won Kansas that game.
This is world-class balance of playmaking and selflessness if I've ever seen it, and Collins continues to maintain that equilibrium this season. At the end of regulation at the Kansas State game this season, Collins forced
the issue and found himself turning the ball over after being double teamed.
Yet when the Kansas State game was on the line in overtime, who took the game-winning shot? Collins, of course.
Finding that balance isn't easy, but it is necessary for the success of Kansas basketball. There is only one person to look to when a player needs to get that balance back: Kansas coach Bill Self.
"I don't want this to be so much about Sherron and senior
night — and he wouldn't either — that we forget what we are trying to do," Self said. "And that's to beat a top-five team."
Tonight is the first step across the tight rope at the end of the season. Each step ahead will require little adjustments in Collins' balance. And like a tightrope walker 50 feet in the air, the only option is to make it to the other side.
— Edited by Megan Heacock
COLLINS (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Kansas and Illinois. But after Late Night, I was sold. I was ready to commit immediately."
But it wasn't an easy transition.
Self told him to lose almost 30 pounds or he wouldn't play.
Dealing with the death of his 10-month old baby, Sherron Jr., and the culture change from Chicago to Lawrence, Collins came into camp overweight.
"I tried to be a great mentor for him," Robinson said. "We had some talent and everybody was so positive and that made him want to be a great team player."
Surrounded by a cast of lighthearted and selfless upperclassmen — Russell Robinson, Brandon Rush and Julian Wright to name a few — Collins lost the weight and his mindset began to change.
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
After a slow start, Collins elevated his game beyond most expectations.
"He was bad at times his freshman year." Self said. "I mean bad. But by January and the middle of February, he was the best basketball player on our team."
Coach Bill Self talks to senior guard Sherron Collins during a timeout of a game against Texas A&M on Feb. 15. A visit to Self's house four years ago changed Collins' perception about his life.
Collins turned it around thanks to his coach and teammates. Collins said they gave him the tools for success and he used them.
"I attribute all that to him having a positive attitude and being mentally tough through all the adversity he's been through," Robinson said. "Everything he's done was expected."
Collins still had a rough time fitting into such a strange location. It's as if Lawrence moved too slow for him.
"His freshman year, it was a shell-shock — the change from Chicago, a big city, to Lawrence, Kansas," junior guard Brady Morningstar said.
such a peaceful house in a safe neighborhood. He preferred it to his Chicago lifestyle. That was the moment Self knew he had something special.
It all changed with a visit to his coach's house.
The first time Collins went to visit Self, he was stunned. Collins didn't recognize the feelings of
"I think that all coaches have a soft spot in their heart for kids that do it against all odds," Self said. "He came into this situation really needing a place to change
As he grew into a leader on the court, he also had to become more of one off the court.
his thought process and to mold him to what he could potentially become and he embraced that."
Collins had his second son Sherr'mari, who will be three in April, and daughter Sharee' Monea, who was born Feb. 15. The smile on his face whenever his kids are mentioned tells the story.
"I think that's what woke me un" Collins said.
Self and Collins had a talk about growing up when his son was born. Collins' mother gave him everything and his father gave him nothing. Those factors motivate Collins to be a selfless son and father.
"It was hard on my mother and I think it's time for her to rest," Collins said. "And for my son, I just want to be there for him like my father wasn't there for me."
Collins says he often talks to his father, who lives in Chicago. His father always tells him to be there for his son and not make the mistakes he did.
And this spring Collins will be the first person from his family to graduate. He doesn't have to wake up every morning and worry about any violence.
He loves how he escaped a dreadful lifestyle. He loves this city. He loves how this city loves him.
"I realized everything was safe," Collins said. "Nice town. It's perfect."
— Edited by Taylor Bern
SPEECH (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
"It's just the will," Steve said. "He wants to win and it doesn't matter if it's his first game or last game. He came back for a reason."
sion the All-American has shown throughout his career.
And that reason is to win another title.
As the only graduating senior on the team, Collins will most likely have the floor all to himself after the game, depending on what junior center Cole Aldrich decides to do.
Aldrich has been mum about his NBA decision, but he sees what
his teammate is going through and he saw how it affected seniors from years past, he said. With the possibility of never playing in Allen Fieldhouse again, he said, this is a time worth cherishing.
"It really hits home knowing it goes so quick," Aldrich said. "When you're a freshman, you don't always think about it. But when you're an upperclassman, you think, 'Hey, my time's almost up to run through the tunnel.'"
In Aldrich's freshmanyear, there were five graduating seniors. One of them, current NBA D-League player Russell Robinson, said it
Robinson knows what Collins is going through, he said. The amount of pressure for a last game, a last chance to make an impression, is very high.
was his most memorable night at the Fieldhouse.
But Robinson thinks there's one thing on Collins' mind right now, and it will probably be one of the toughest moments of his career — the senior speech.
"That's the hardest part. You can't just get up there and say 'Hi' and 'Thank you', Robinson said. "I'm looking forward to seeing what he'll do."
It's hard to gauge from Collins how he will approach this night. He said the speech would come straight from the top of his head because it was more meaningful that way.
Wayne Simien spoke for more than 20 minutes during his speech in 2005, the longest in Kansas history. That might be a stretch, even for Collins.
"I don't think I'll be up there for 30 minutes," Collins said. "But I have a lot to talk about."
— Edited by Kirsten Hudson
4 OF NO.4'S BEST GAMES
FRESHMAN YEAR
KANSAS 80, MISSOURI 77 Jan.15,2007
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
"That's the Sherron that we recruited," Kansas coach Bill Self said after the game. "It takes time for guys to get comfortable, and this was a big game for him. Sherron was the man tonight."
In his first Border War, Collins led Kansas past Missouri with a season-high 23 points, including seven points in the final 2:30 of the game. On a team with seven future professional players, Collins carried the Jayhawks by hitting 8-of-14 shots. It was his first true chance to shine in the spotlight.
SOPHOMORE YEAR
KANSAS 75, MEMPHIS 68 April 7,2008
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
This one's pretty obvious. In the biggest game of Kansas' season, Collins contributed in two of the National Championship's biggest plays. With slightly less than two minutes remaining in regulation, Collins stole the inbounds pass from Memphis' Antonio Anderson and tossed it to Mario Chalmers. Seconds later, Collins buried a three-pointer from the wing, cutting Memphis' lead to 60-56.
Then, in the final seconds, Collins rushed the ball up the court and left the ball for Chalmers, who, of course, hit the game-tying three-pointer.
JUNIOR YEAR
KANSAS 87,OKLAHOMA 78 Feb.23,2009
Collins routinely hit big shots - and big deep three-pointers in the final 20 minutes maintaining a lead for Kansas.
In his junior season, Collins was often called on to carry Kansas offensively. But against Oklahoma, Collins simply took over down the stretch. He scored 22 of his 26 points in the second half, lifting Kansas into sole possession of first place in the Big 12.
Weston White/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
SENIOR YEAR
KANSAS 81, KANSAS STATE 79 Jan.30,2010
Weston White/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
In one of the more gutsy performances of his career, Collins battled back spasms throughout the second half in Kansas State's raucous "Octagon of Doom." After limping off the floor in pain during overtime, Collins returned in the final seconds. He quickly drove toward the basket, hung in the air and scored a layup while being fouled.
The play gave Kansas a 79-76 lead - a cushion that Kansas State couldn't overcome. Collins finished with 16 points.
"He has a flair for the dramatic," Self said after the game.
Jayson Jenks