It wasn’t a dream.
It was Nick Collison versus the Dream Team on Tuesday in Hawaii.
Collison, Kansas University’s 6-foot-9, 240-pound sophomore forward from Iowa Falls, Iowa, joined 11 other college all-stars in a scrimmage against the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team the so-called NBA “Dream Team” in Honolulu.
The college Select Team will continue scrimmaging all week in paradise in preparation for Saturday’s U.S. Select-Dream Team exhibition game, set for 5:30 p.m. on channels 27 and 41.
“It went all right. It was kind of a shock at first,” Collison said Tuesday said in a phone interview. “I was not in awe like I thought I might have been.
“They are definitely a lot better than me, more athletic, but maybe someday I will be at that level, too,” Collison added.
Collison guarded and was guarded by Kevin Garnett (6-11, 220, Minnesota Timberwolves) and Alonzo Mourning (6-11, 260, Miami Heat).
“Kevin Garnett is big, strong and fast,” Collison said. “Alonzo Mourning is big really big. He also was one of the nicest ones out there. He didn’t say much. There were some guys talking at first some of ours and some of theirs. I think they were trying to send a message that we are the ones still in college, they are the ones making the money.”
The collegians held their own Tuesday, Collison said.
“We played half court at first. We were getting a lot of buckets,” Collison said. “Then we went fullcourt. They got the best of us. We did not get back a lot and they were getting easy baskets and dunks. They are smarter, bigger and stronger than most of us more skilled in every phase of the game so it takes some getting used to.”
Collison was paired with Duke’s Jason Williams and Shane Battier, Michigan State’s Jason Richardson and Ohio State’s Ken Johnson.
“That’s how we started out. We switched it around more at the end,” Collison said. “I got more playing time than I imagined. It’s a lot of fun.”
Other members of the Select Team are: Cory Bradford, Illinois; Joseph Forte, North Carolina; Casey Jacobsen, Stanford; Terence Morris, Maryland; Troy Murphy, Notre Dame; Jamaal Tinsley, Iowa State, and Michael Wright, Arizona.
The 2000 Dream Team roster includes Garnett, Mourning, Ray Allen, Milwaukee; Vin Baker, Seattle; Vince Carter, Toronto; Tim Duncan, San Antonio; Tim Hardaway, Miami; Grant Hill, Detroit; Allan Houston, New York; Jason Kidd, Phoenix; Gary Payton, Seattle; and Steve Smith, Portland.
The U.S. Select Team is coached by St. John’s Mike Jarvis, who is assisted by Cincinnati’s Bob Huggins.
Hayes on air: Chuck Hayes, a 6-7, 230-pound high school senior forward from Modesto, Calif., was a guest on the onairsports.com Internet talk show on Tuesday night.
He said Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA and UTEP are his current college favorites with USC, St. Louis and Pepperdine also in the running.
Hayes he averaged 26 points and 18 boards per game last year at Modesto Christian will visit Kansas on Sept. 23, UTEP on Sept. 30 and Kentucky on Oct. 7.
“I don’t have a top school right now,” Hayes said. “Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA all see me as a three (small forward). I am going to need to step out and consistently hit the (outside) shot to play on the next level. They also see me as somebody who will go get the rebound.”
An all-state tight end last year, Hayes has given up football for basketball.
Sampson says: Jamal Sampson, a 6-11 high school senior center from Santa Ana, Calif., will visit five schools.
Sampson told Insiders Report he’ll visit UConn (Sept. 14), Syracuse (Sept. 30), Virginia (Oct. 6) and Kansas (Oct. 13). He’ll also be setting up a visit to St. Louis.
He said Kansas and UConn currently are his favorites.
