North Carolina State University Athletics
Collins' Time has Come
12/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 13, 2004
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. - Through the first three years of his basketball career at NC State, center Jordan Collins patiently waited his turn. Sometimes that wait was even painful because of a series of nagging injuries that limited his playing time. There was also another obstacle: he came in four years ago with a class that included Josh Powell and Ilian Evtimov, two players who commanded playing time at the `5' position. Now a senior, the 6-10 Collins is taking full advantage of the opportunity to make his mark with a team that continues to climb up the national rankings.
Heading into Wednesday night's home game against Louisiana-Lafayette (9 pm), Collins is a major reason why NC State is 7-0 and ranked 10th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Outside of All-American Julius Hodge, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that Collins has been the Wolfpack's most consistent performer to date.
A starter in every game this season, the Hyattsville, Maryland native is averaging 10.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest. He's also been the Pack's most accurate shooter, hitting 61 percent of his field goal attempts overall and 60 percent (6-10) from 3-point range.
A roll player in his first three seasons, Collins says he's earned a front and center position with this year's team the old fashioned way.
"I attribute it to a lot of hard work in the off-season," Collins said. "The coaching staff has been patient with me, letting me learn the system and being more mature and comfortable on the court. I spent a lot of time working on my conditioning and shooting during the off-season."
Collins' dedication to his overall conditioning is something that has evolved during his career. Often looking a step behind some of the big men he was playing against during his freshman campaign, Collins looked like a new man the next year when he checked into preseason practice 30 pounds lighter. Since then, he has continued to build muscle mass while dropping body fat. The result is a leaner, meaner player whose movements on the court are visibly quicker and more graceful.
And although he's 6-10, Collins has also developed into one of the Pack's most reliable 3-point shooters. Thus far, teams who choose to play off of him when he catches the ball on the perimeter have been punished.
"He has clearly improved," said NC State head coach Herb Sendek. "In my mind, he has always had good hands. He always had a nice touch and good form. With Jordan, we never had to reconstruct his shot. He became a better shooter, but it was because of repetition and confidence."
Collins started developing his shooting mechanics while playing for legendary DeMatha High School coach Morgan Wooten, who spent time with him working on medium-range jump shots in the 15-to-17 foot range. But it wasn't until he came to NC State that Collins was permitted to stretch his range out beyond the 3-point arc.
But Collins' biggest strength right now may very well be his experience. His overall understanding of NC State's offensive system and knowing how to position himself properly on the defensive end of the court has earned him praise from Sendek, who often points out that the senior has an impressive basketball IQ.
Cedric Simmons, the Wolfpack's athletic freshman from Shallotte, has been getting a strong dose of Collins' expertise every day in practice. In most cases, the senior gets the best of his rookie counterpart when they match-up during scrimmaging sessions. It's all part of the process. And just as Collins learned earlier in his career, Simmons is finding out that the transition from high school to college - particularly for big men - is no `walk in the park.'
"It's tough to deal with," Collins said. "Coming in from high school, I started all four years at DeMatha Catholic. Coming into the system is something new. You're learning the coaching staff and the new players. It's really difficult coming from high school where you're used to playing and being the star to coming here and not playing. It's kind of been difficult for Cedric, but he's going to be a great player here. It's taking him awhile to learn the system but he's getting there. He just has to wait his turn."
Something Jordan Collins knows all about.
