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Kansas University guards Sherron Collins, left, and Russell Robinson suit up for practice in the team locker room. The Jayhawks held a short public workout at Ford Field in Detroit on the eve of today's Sweet 16 matchup with Villanova.
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2007-08 March 27 KU-Villanova Pregame
Detroit — Sherron Collins looked like a guy who'd just hit a game-winning shot with no time left on the clock.
He was flashing what his uncle, Walt, calls a "movie star smile" Thursday in the Detroit Lions' Ford Field locker room, beaming with pride not over his accomplishments, but those of a close loved one.
"My son walked for the first time today,''' Collins, Kansas University's 5-foot-11 sophomore guard from Chicago, said of Sherr'mari, who will turn 1 on April 6 - the day before the NCAA championship game.
"I wasn't there, but it was good to hear he took his first steps. I talked to him earlier. He knows my voice. He calls me, 'Da da.' He puts a smile on my face. He makes me forget about things."
Like injuries.
Collins, who says his bruised left knee is not 100 percent but feeling "fine" heading into today's 8:40 p.m. Sweet 16 contest against Villanova, regularly cell-phones his girlfriend, Re'Quiya Aguirre, back in Chicago. She'll put the phone up to Sherr'mari's ear : and suddenly Sherron, who has had a long list of injuries since last spring (tendinitis in left knee, stress fracture left foot, bruised right knee, bruised left knee and assorted ankle sprains) feels much better.
"Sometimes I can see him sitting there watching TV with his head down saying to himself, 'Man, if I was healthy : ' because when he's healthy he's another dimension,''' said Brady Morningstar, Collins' Jayhawker Towers roommate and KU teammate.
"Sherron gets upset because it seems like it never stops. He's been injured the whole time he's been here."
Yet if he's too upset ...
"If he's down at all, his girlfriend will put 'Mari on the phone, and a big smile comes on his face. He (Sherron) will say, 'Mari, Mari!' and 'Mari will make some voice kids make. He (Sherron) starts smiling. He loves his child so much."
Good to see ya
About once a month, Collins gets to see his girlfriend and child in person. The two either fly or make the eight-hour drive from Chicago to Lawrence and stay in the Collins/Morningstar apartment.
It has made buddy Brady very close to Sherr'mari, as well.
"They call me his uncle," Morningstar said proudly, pulling out his cell phone and showing a Journal-World reporter a picture of Sherr'mari on the screen.
"I'll always be in a room playing with the kid. I think I like 'Mari as much as Sherron."
Former KU player Roger Morningstar and his wife, Linda, love to invite the Collins clan to their home when Re'Quiya and Sherr'mari are in town.
"Brady brightens up around Sherron's son. It's a side of Brady I'd not seen," Lawrence businessman Roger Morningstar said. "Brady makes faces and plays with him. (Before the baby was born) I'd always tell Sherron, 'You know, Roger is a good first name for a boy.
"I call him 'Little Rog' as a joke. Sherron talks about him all the time," Roger added in a serious tone. "I went in his room the other day. He'd bought some little baby shoes for him and can't wait to give them to him."
Unfortunately it won't be this weekend.
"They can't come, but they'll be in San Antonio if we make the Final Four," Sherron said.
Brothers forever
The Brady Morningstar/Collins friendship - they call it a "brotherhood" - is one the two insist will last a lifetime.
It started the in June of 2006, when Collins showed up in Lawrence for the start of summer school.
"Coach (Bill Self) said, 'This is Sherron,' and we clicked right away," said Brady Morningstar, who immediately shot baskets with Collins in Horejsi Center. "We've been roommates ever since. I mean, I wouldn't even call him a best friend. He's my brother. I grew up with two sisters. He's a brother to me. We have a bond not many people have."
Collins said he'll forever be grateful Morningstar came into his life.
"Me being from Chicago, when I first got to Lawrence it was, 'Oh my God, culture shock,'" Collins said. "I am from the inner-city. A lot of people around there do a lot of different things. That all stopped. I thank Brady a lot. I got so comfortable with him I forgot about being homesick. I didn't have to go home all the time," added Collins, who also has an older blood brother with whom he's close.
Roger Morningstar sees the fun-loving side of both when he has the boys over for dinner.
"They love Linda. They always are getting something to eat. : They do a lot of cutting up. What they do is pick on me. They jump my butt about everything. They don't believe there was basketball in the '74, '75 era," Roger joked of his years playing for Ted Owens at KU. "I tell 'em we were as good as them. They don't believe me."
Family matters
On a serious note, Roger and Linda have been willing to boost Sherron's spirits when he's down.
And that's not often, despite the injuries.
"He doesn't have a dad or mom in Kansas. We take as much a role as we can," Roger said of his relationship with Sherron, who is quite close to his mom, Stacey, and uncle Walt, as well as some other relatives. Collins' dad, who at one time was incarcerated, lives in Minnesota.
"We have to walk a tight line between being parent and booster," Roger Morningstar said. "It's legal (by NCAA rules) to have them over for dinner and talk. So we've had them over a lot."
And during chats by the fireplace ... "We tell him, 'Keep your head up. Whether you are 75 percent or 80 percent, you have the ability to contribute to the team.' He is such a fun-loving kid. He doesn't mope at all," Roger Morningstar said.
Walt Harris is amazed at his nephew's resiliency.
"He understands factors of life. When he broke his foot (missing six games early this season) he was down about it, but you can't keep him down. He has strong determination. He has 'dog' in him. He doesn't quit. He's like a lion, king of the jungle," Harris said.
Funny thing is, all this is new to Sherron. He never was injured in high school.
That's while playing wide receiver in football (he received some college offers from Big Ten schools) and both pitching and patrolling shorstop and center field in baseball. Collins, legend has it, has over a 90 mph fastball.
"I broke my wrist playing football," Collins said of pee-wee ball. "Other than that, I never got hurt until I got to college."
Ready to play
Harris has talked to his nephew this week. He believes he's ready for tonight's game against Villanova and hopefully another game Sunday and two more at the Final Four.
"I think he's the X-factor," Harris said. "He's very excited. He knows they have a chance to make the Final Four."
As far as another run next year, Collins says he's not thinking about the NBA right now. Those close to the program expect Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur to turn pro, but there's still a chance Collins and Mario Chalmers will return next season.
"I think he'll sit back at the end of the year, talk to his coaches and evaluate," Harris said. "This year or next year : he'll take his time in making a decision. I'd like to see him come back, get back to the Final Four again for Kansas. I think he'll take time to evaluate."
That's all weeks down the road.
Tonight is a major test against Villanova and guard Scottie Reynolds, whom Collins met at the 2006 McDonald's All-America game. They have remained friends and text-message on a regular basis.
"He's good. They are good," Collins said of the Wildcats. "We know it's going to be a tough game. They're not a regular 12 seed. They are much better than that. We'll play as hard as we can and see what happens."
If all goes according to plan today and Sunday, he'll have something important to talk to his son about one of these days: his first Final Four.
UPDATED: 2008-09 Kansas Men's Basketball: Past, Present and Future March 11, 2009
Sherron Collins: One-on-One November 3, 2008
KU trumpets its triumphs with new I-70 turnpike signs July 2, 2008
Jayhawks up for ESPY honors July 1, 2008
Bill Self at the White House June 3, 2008
Comments
jahwkfan (anonymous) says…
Awesome article. Puts things in perspective. Have fun Sherron.
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drum1984 (anonymous) says…
Great article.
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Nutflush21 (anonymous) says…
Collins is not quite ready for the NBA. Hopefully, he and Mario can take the reins of next years squad and have great, healthy seasons.
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NH_JHawk (anonymous) says…
I hope Sherron's knee is good enough to allow him to play up to his potential. we need you sherron!!!
i'm inspired too after watching the '88 game on youtube last night. It brought a tear to my eye.
Let's get it on and take it to these kitties tonight.
Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
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easyfive (anonymous) says…
We may lose the whole starting lineup to the NBA? Wouldn't that be the first.
That's the best thing about Bill. His guys get better and better as the season goes. Not with Roy, his guys just stayed the same all the years here.
Roy would only bring one or two guys as stars. Where Bill brings in five or six maybe seven stars in.
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DSommersby (anonymous) says…
I wonder if Sherron could sport some sort of knee pad when he is playing to help absorb any bumps. I do not think it would limit his quickness.
I remember even sporting a volleyball kneepad which had extra padding and it worked fine. You rarely see players wearing knee pads at all these days. I know KSU's Sutton wore knee pads several games this year and his looked mainly for show although he had hurt his knee later in year.
I'm sure the KU staff has though of all this but thought I'd throw it out there too.
Hope Sherron and the team have great games tonight. Bring the energy and play relentless and play with all their hearts! Go HAWKS!
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bswen (anonymous) says…
Great article for sure... Congrats Sherron on you're son's first steps - he'll be breaking other guys ankles pretty soon with the quick first step he'll inherit from you.
And you're uncle's right, you are the X factor! Take us to the final four Sherron!
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tashe2 (anonymous) says…
Great Story, Sherron is definately the X Factor! I love watching Sherron play. Some of the moves he makes is just like WOW! I went to the KU-Depaul game this year. Sherron had been injured for the past 5 or 6 games before that and we didn't think he was going to play. He came out in warm ups and we got all excited. He did end up playing, it was awesome. I hope he comes back next year, I wish someway everyone but the obvious seniors would come back! I know that isn't going to happen, but it would be nice.
Either way, lets worry about 'Nova tonight!!
I hope Sherron loses his mind and scores 35!!
Rock Chalk Jayhawks!!
National Champions 2008
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thiknthinhawk (anonymous) says…
Very good article- it's a breath of fresh air to read about things the way they ought to be- dad's that love their kids, people supporting someone far away from home, tight friendship. Very nice...
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ChicagoJHawk (anonymous) says…
Nice article. You definitely are the X-Factor Sherron, we need you out there!
Let's go Jayhawks, only four more games to go! I would love to see us win the last game of the year. National Champs 2008, rock chalk jayhawk go ku!!!!!!!!
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sevenyearhawk (anonymous) says…
good article ...
Wouldn't it be cool for Brady to join his dad Roger in having a Final Four appearance?
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CaramelMacchMan (anonymous) says…
get er done...
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dylans (anonymous) says…
easyfive You are right Roy only recruited 1 guy and until that person was in the fold he passed on the other recruits, however in '97 there were 7 NBA draft picks on that team.
Bill has done an excellent job of recruiting talent and character every year that he has been here!
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jayhawk02 (anonymous) says…
Great article and best of luck to the Jayhawks tonight. However, I had to laugh when Roger Morningstar said his team was as good as this year's Hawks. I find it hard to believe that ANY Ted Owens team was this good. I remember the talent that he had in 83? Darnell Valentine's senior year. Lost to Wichita St. in the sweet 16. He had all the tools to push the ball up and down the court, but chose to slow it down for Paul Mokeski. Hated to see him not utilize his talent.
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milehighhawk (anonymous) says…
Why is Sherron talking about his kid when we have a game to win?
FOCUS Hawks!!
Just kidding! Great article...Rock Chalk!
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soapboxstew (anonymous) says…
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."
My father always used to say to me. Keep fighting like a Pit Bull from hell Sherron.
If we go on the path of destiny and win a NC, I'm almost certain that BRush, DA, and Mario will go Pro. I'll be happy for them. If we don't get there I could see Mario stay, but DA and BRush are gone.
Stay one more year Sherron. If all 3 leave, this will be your team and your team only. You will be the leader, the scorer, and the heart and soul of this team.
Can you say '25 ppg'?
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KU (anonymous) says…
Four and a half hours and counting......Let's roll!
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actorman (anonymous) says…
What a tremendous article, it actually brought tears to my eyes. Everything about it was great: the love and pride that Sherron feels for his son, the bond between Sherron and the Morningstar family, and the connection between Sherron and Brady.
Jayhawk02, the year you're talking about is 1980-81. I know only too well because that was my freshman year and the Battle of New Orleans against WSU was brutal; KU was so much better than them. In fact for years I considered that KU's most painful loss, but now of course they've had two to surpass it (and we all know which years I'm talking about).
BTW, I assume when you refer to Mokeski, you're talking about a different Ted Owens team, because Mokeski wasn't on the '81 team. I remember that starting lineup like it was yesterday. They had Valentine, Tony Guy, David Magley, Art Housey and John Crawford. And their top two subs were Booty Neal (who would have had unbelievable stats if they had 3-pointers then) and Victor Mitchell (aka Chocolate Blunder, who was foolish enough to leave after his junior year and, to the surprise of no one, was not drafted).
1983 was a whole different story. Aside from the vastly underrated Carl Henry, Kelly Knight (the man with even more heart than he had injuries), and the young Calvin Thompson and Ronnie Kellogg, that team was truly horrible, with such stellar talents as Mark Summers, Mark Ewing, Jeff Dishman and Tad Boyle (aka Bad Soil). I remember looking at some of the starters that year and wondering if they could have started for any other KU team going back to the '50s.
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