Collins Named to American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team
TAMPA, MARCH 5, 2018 – USF freshman guard David Collins was named to the American Athletic Conference All-Rookie team on Monday, recognizing his stellar freshman campaign for the Bulls.
The announcement of Collins' selection to the All-Rookie team comes one day after the freshman tied his career high in points with 21 in the victory over SMU to conclude the regular season. Collins got hot in the second half, scoring 18 in the closing frame, the most scored by a Bull in any half this season.
"I'd be hard pressed to say he's not the rookie of the year," USF head coach Brian Gregory said. "You look at statistical analysis, he's had as good of a freshman year as anyone in the league, and statistically probably better. I think he's second in scoring, first in assists, first in steals. He's had as good of a year as any freshman around, and he's had as big of an impact as any freshman."
Collins is the fourth Bull to ever be named to The American All-Rookie team. John Egbunu and Chris Perry both made the team in 2014, while Jahmal McMurray was the most recent in 2016.
Collins has scored in double figures 11 times this season, including reaching double digits in eight of the last nine games. Over the recent hot stretch, Collins is averaging a team-high 14.1 points per game. He is shooting 50.6 percent (39-for-77) from the field, 52.0 percent (13-for-25) from three and 87.8 percent (36-for-41) from the free throw line in the nine game stretch. He has added 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in that span.
Collins has been a dominant force for USF since the start of conference play, averaging 11.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Collins' scoring output is second on the team, while he is tied for the team lead in assists and steals. He has played in all 18 conference games, starting 12.
Among freshmen in The American since the start of conference play, Collins ranks second in scoring behind only ECU's Shawn Williams. He leads all conference freshmen in assists and is tied for the conference lead in steals.
In conference, Collins is shooting 47.3 percent (61-for-129) from the field, which ranks fourth in the conference. From three, he is shooting 44.7 percent (17-for-38) and he is shooting at a 77.4 percent (65-for-84) clip from the free throw line. Collins has also played the second-most minutes on the team in conference play, averaging 28.4 minutes per game. Only Stephan Jiggetts has seen more action in that time.
For the season, Collins has played in 26 games after missing five games in November and December with a left knee sprain. The freshman is averaging 9.2 points per game for the entire year, which is third on the team. His 46.8 percent mark from the field is third for the Bulls, behind forwards Malik Martin and Isaiah Manderson.
Collins also ranks highly among USF freshmen in team history. His 74.3 percent clip from the free throw line ranks eighth all-time among USF freshmen, while his 75 makes from the line puts him fifth in team history. His 1.1 steals per game ties him for ninth in USF freshman history, while his 63 assists on the season moves him into tenth among USF freshman.
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About USF Men's Basketball
The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, Gregory was introduced as the 10th head coach in program history. He previously led programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State's Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory brings nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship, to Tampa.
USF has retired three numbers in its 47-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids and appeared in the NIT eight times.
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