Sherron Collins knows something very valuable.
He knows some of the shots he has hoisted in the immediate vicinity of the hoop early in his freshman season were not wise. In Kansas University’s 80-69 victory over Rhode Island on Saturday, he showed the fruits of that lesson learned.
“I’m 5-(foot-)11, so a lot of shots I’m not going to get off as easy shots against the big guys,” Collins said. “I’m just trying to get them off their feet and get my teammates easy baskets.”
In 27 minutes – 16 of which came in the second half with junior Russell Robinson confined to the bench because of the flu – the diminutive Collins played his best game yet as a Jayhawk, totaling 13 points, five rebounds and five assists with just one turnover.
One fantastic stretch during his busy second half showed that he’s turning over a new leaf when driving into the painted area.
First, he scooted down and slid a pass to Sasha Kaun, who was slicing down the baseline from right to left. Kaun, a junior forward, took the pass in stride, hammering home an easy two-handed slam.
On KU’s next possession, Collins drove nearly coast-to-coast, and, once he was right under the rim, he contorted his body around a bigger URI defender, flipped the ball backward and hit sophomore Julian Wright for an uncontested throwdown.
“Sherron had his best game since he’s been here,” KU coach Bill Self said. “Russell is really good at getting in the lane, Mario’s become very good at it, but Sherron, that’s how he’s played his whole life. Just get it and go – that’s natural for him.
“He just can’t do that consistently at this level.”
Collins’ 13 points were the most he’d tallied since dropping 19 against Tennessee State on Nov. 21. On Saturday, he hit a pair of three-pointers, and his most impressive hoop came late in the second half, a fading baseline jumper after losing control of the ball moments earlier.
He joked with teammate Brandon Rush about his resemblance to Rush’s patented fadeaway look on that shot.
Even more important than Collins’ well-rounded stat line, though, was the bulk of minutes he played, which was his highest regular-season total in 14 games this year. Robinson spent the entire second half with his warmups on and a towel over his head.
For Collins, it was not just an opportunity to help the team in a wider capacity, but to impress someone who has become a mentor for him as a freshman.
“(Russell’s) tough, just trying to come out and play through it, but halftime just got the best of him,” Collins said. “I tip my hat off to him, he’s tough, and I’m learning everything I can from him.”
