Keegan
Advertisement
Kansas guard Sherron Collins stretches prior to tipoff against Kansas State in the Big 12 championship game Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.
Advertisement
More first round content
Check out these stories for more insight before KU's game against Lehigh:
Photo Gallery
Jayhawks practice in Oklahoma City
Videos
Video previews: Kansas vs. Lehigh
Videos for Kansas' first-round game in the 2010 NCAA tournament against Lehigh.
Oklahoma City — The moment Sherron Collins slipped into a Kansas University uniform as a freshman, he was the quickest cat on the floor. That wasn’t always a good thing.
He slammed into stationary defenders so often it was as if when he touched the basketball it triggered a timing mechanism that would cause the referee to put his hand behind his head and then point emphatically in the other direction.
Courtside spectators really felt like a part of the action because at times they were when Collins was in the game. They would duck from his errant passes.
He was so quick he was nearly impossible to guard. He’s lost some of his explosiveness since then as a result of wear and tear on his knees, but what he has lost physically he has more than compensated for with added basketball savvy.
That’s what birthdays will do for you. Each one comes with more wisdom. Collins’ plans for celebrating his 23rd birthday today leave no doubt about where his head is as he kicks off his fourth and final NCAA Tournament.
Will there be a birthday cake waiting for him after the game?
“No,” he said. “I’ll get off my feet and get some rest after the game. I’m not worried about birthday cake. I can celebrate later.”
Collins still plays the game at a fast pace, but he seldom looks as if he’s in a hurry these days. He averages 2.3 turnovers, compared to 3.3 a year ago. No statistic reveals what a subtle, masterful job he has done protecting leads late in games. It’s subtle because he never looks like he’s killing clock, never looks passive, but the seconds dwindle off the game clock and shot clock, making the lead more insurmountable. How does he do it?
“It’s just a sense of running the clock out and still being aggressive,” he said. “The thing is you don’t want to actually play to the shot clock where you’ve always got to hoist a bad shot up with 10 seconds left. Be aggressive, and if there’s a layup or something open, take it. If not, then run the clock. We’ve been aggressive and have been able to make plays at the end of the clock.”
Sophomore Marcus Morris expressed how much more efficiently Collins has become this season at managing a game to the finish line.
“I feel he’s understanding the time and score a lot better,” Marcus said. “That’s why we have a senior guard, to hold the team down, and when it’s clutch time he always has the ball in his hands. I think he does a great job of managing the time and managing the score.”
He said Collins also has become a more skilled leader.
“He wasn’t as emotional last year as this year,” Morris said. “When he gets emotional on the bench, the game just changes. That’s something we have that other teams don’t, a senior guard who’s been through this before and knows what to expect, knows how to be down and come back.”
Collins has broken from his midseason shooting slump and has hit 43 percent of his three-point attempts in the past eight games. Even more significant than that, he trusts teammates more now than at any time in his career.
“I feel just as comfortable with Tyshawn (Taylor) having the ball in his hands,” Collins said. “He’s a little, slinky player. He does a lot of different things, especially with his speed. It’s hard to stop him at times.”
Taylor’s stock fell in mid-winter, but it’s been on the rise of late.
“Right now, his head’s as right as it’s been all season,” Collins said. “He’s been practicing great, and his energy level’s been there. We’re all on the same page. Everybody wants to win.”
The leader of the 32-2 and top-ranked Jayhawks was asked what it would be like to meet the leader of the free world, a perk of winning it all.
“He’s the first black president,” Collins said of Barack Obama, who picked KU to win it all. “That alone would make it special.”
Collins, who met President George W. Bush during the 2008 team’s White House visit, knows of the lefty president’s passion for playing basketball.
“Of course I’d like to run with Obama,” Collins said. “I’d like to have him on my team. I heard he’s a pretty good passer.”
In pickup games, Collins is like everybody else. He likes to shoot. In games that count, he shares better than he once did. He’s a much smarter player and is a big reason Kansas has a better shot than any other school of winning it all.
KU basketball dealt a blow in second round of tourney March 22, 2010
KU men sent home early March 21, 2010
KU ends season with second-round loss March 20, 2010
Bill Self addresses media after NCAA loss March 20, 2010
Sherron Collins talks to media after loss March 20, 2010
Comments
phogthedog (anonymous) says…
Happy Birthday Sherron! It's been a pleasure to watch you for the past 4 years. rcjhgku!
nocaljayhawk (anonymous) says…
Happy b-day Mr. Collins---I had no idea today was the big day...it's also our older son's seventh birthday, and Sherron's his favorite Jayhawk. I predict he'll be wearing his No. 4 jersey today!
nocaljayhawk (anonymous) says…
Happy b-day Mr. Collins---I had no idea today was the big day...it's also our older son's seventh birthday, and Sherron's his favorite Jayhawk. I predict he'll be wearing his No. 4 jersey today!
ChicagoJHawk (anonymous) says…
Happy Birthday Sherron! Go out there & kick some a** today against Lehigh. Sherron is already pumped up & ready to go, but with today being his birthday, I'm sure he's even more pumped up than usual!
National Champs 2010 Rock Chalk Jayhawk GO KU!!!!!!!!!
justinryman (Justin) says…
I think it's great that Sherron has stayed all four years at Kansas when everyone knows that he didn't have to. But he did it for himself, his mom, his kids and his teamates.
May the all time winning Jayhawk end it all on a high note and go out a winner, like so very few seniors get to.
Rock Chalk
MrPilot (anonymous) says…
Happy Birthday, Sherron! Make it a memorable one! :-)
MrPilot (anonymous) says…
Sherron could totally dunk over Obama.
mikendal (KUFanSince1975) says…
Happy B-day, Sherron! Have the Tournament of your like---make us proud to be Jayhawks!!!!!!
mikendal (KUFanSince1975) says…
I meant to say, "Tournament of your life!" Sorry about that!
omng392 (anonymous) says…
Happy Birthday Sherron!!! Let's go win today for Sherron's birthday!!! rock chalk!!!