North Carolina State University Athletics
Moving On Up
12/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 23, 2004
On Nov. 19, the NC State women's basketball team began the 2004-05 season with a 67-49 win over the UNCW Seahawks. With the win, the Pack opened their season with a tally in the positive column, while head coach Kay Yow collected her 597th career victory for the red and white.
But the footnotes don't end there, as the UNCW game also signaled the beginnings of four new careers for the Wolfpack women. Included in that group is Memphis, Tenn., native Tiffany McCollins. Affectionately known as "T-Mac" to her teammates, the 5-foot-7 junior guard spent her first two years starting at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. Averaging slightly over 13 points and 11 rebounds per game, McCollins was named to the NJCAA All-Tournament team in 2003 after leading UAFS to the National Tournament Semifinals.
Less that two minutes removed from the bench in her regular season debut against UNCW, McCollins picked off a pass and fed the ball inside to junior Monica Pope. What may appear as a lone steal in the stat column turned into an immediate confidence booster for the polished newcomer.
"It felt really good to start off that way," McCollins said. "It was my first game and to get a steal coming right off of the bench, it was a huge boost for my confidence. It made me fell like I could do whatever it takes for me to help my team win, and that's how I went into the game thinking."
While at UAFS, McCollins played under assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Johnnie Harris, who spent last season as an assistant on the Wolfpack coaching staff. En route to Raleigh, Harris thought McCollins style of play would fit in well with the Pack, and she expressed the idea to both McCollins and Coach Yow.
"Coach Harris was my coach at Fort Smith for about a year and she really liked the way I played," McCollins said. "When she left to come and coach at NC State, she thought I would fit in well with the program. She talked to Coach Yow and Coach Glance and told them she thought they should take a look at me for playing the point position. I took a visit to NC State and they came to my hometown and talked to my family and everything worked out well."
While McCollins was anxious to make the jump to Division I and compete for Coach Yow in the Atlantic Coast Conference, she did, however, find the transition somewhat difficult.
"At first it was a pretty tough transition, especially academically," McCollins said. "As far as playing basketball, it wasn't that much of a challenge because I have always been playing against tough competition and that's what we have here. I made the transition slowly, but everything has come together really well for me."
Another factor working in McCollins' favor is the fact that she isn't the only new face on the Pack bench to transfer in. Alongside junior Tiffany Stansbury, the State Farm/WBCA National Junior College Player of the Year last season, the new duo offers some much-needed depth and experience to a young NC State lineup.
"I think that Tiffany and I add to the running game," McCollins said. "This is a quick team already, but I think that the two of us are already use to transition and running, so we fit in well."
Although McCollins may still be searching for her role on the squad, rest assured that she is relishing in her new environment, as well as the opportunity to play for one of the most decorated coaches in all of collegiate athletics.
No doubt McCollins is looking forward to the beginning of conference play and the heat of the regular season, although she is confident that she can handle the pressure of spotlight basketball on Tobacco Road. While she may not serve as a starting five staple during her first year with the Pack, her hard work and experience pencil her in for much-needed assistance off of the bench. McCollins is ready to contribute when called upon, and more than likely, her experience will add another boost to the deepest Pack bench in recent memory.
