Men's Basketball Adds Collins, Scekic
April 26, 2017 | Men's Basketball
Collins averaged 18 points per game for 24-win First Love Christian Academy (Pa.)
Skekic guided Hutchinson CC (Kan.) to a JuCo National Title and 35-win season
TAMPA, APRIL 27, 2017 – University of South Florida head men's basketball coach Brian Gregory and his staff announced a pair of additions on Thursday, inking 6-foot-3 guard David Collins to a national letter of intent and signing 7-foot-2 center Nikola Scekic to a financial aid agreement.
A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Collins joins USF from First Love Christian Academy (Pa.), where he posted an 18 point per game average for the 24-win Knights. He is ranked as the 46th guard prospect in the country, according to 247 Sports.
“David brings the versatility from the guard spot that is really important in our program,” said Gregory. “His athleticism and physicality on the perimeter is going to be an asset both offensively and defensively. He fits our mold of a highly talented, high character, hard-working, tough student-athlete.”
From Belgrade, Serbia, Scekic won a JuCo National Championship with Hutchinson Community College (Kan.) in 2016-17. He played his freshman season at New Mexico, appearing in 10 games, before transferring.
“Nik provides us with very important pieces to build our program at USF,” added Gregory. “His size, skill package, and versatility can impact a game in many different ways. He can score in the post, step out on the perimeter, is an excellent passer, has a high basketball IQ, and will be tremendous in anchoring our defense. What really drove me to Nik was his unbelievable passion for improvement and daily work habits.”
Scekic returns to Florida, where he previously played for MMG Academy in Orlando. He also played for Zemun in his native country of Serbia before arriving in the United States.
“With today's signings, we also addressed an important issue in our building process here at USF,” said Gregory. “We want to bring in guys that are accustomed and expect success on the court. Nick won a national championship at Hutchinson CC and David had unbelievable success at First Love this year. Both these guys know what it means to be part of a winning program.”
Collins and Scekic join Justin Brown in Coach Gregory's first signing class at USF.
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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