Prep Collins commits to KU

By Gary Bedore, Assistant Sports Editor, Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Chicago Crane High basketball coach Anthony Longstreet had a gut feeling his prize point guard was Kansas University-bound after watching the high school senior sign autographs for, and take pictures with, children after Friday's Late Night in the Phog. "I'm pretty sure it softened him. I'd not seen him smile like that since we made the Elite Eight," Longstreet said Monday, referring to last year's Illinois prep state tournament.

Indeed, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Collins, who told his coach he wanted to commit during last weekend's KU visit, pulled the trigger Sunday after "sleeping on it" and orally committed to Bill Self's Jayhawks over Illinois and Iowa. Late Night was a big reason why.

"Obviously, he had a great time over the weekend. I think he was impressed with the production, so to speak, that was put on before the actual scrimmage," Longstreet said. "He was comfortable with the players.  "Julian (Wright) and Mario (Chalmers) did a great job. They all greeted him with open arms, especially Mario, who walked up to him and gave him a big half-hug. That was a big part of it. It all seemed like a family atmosphere."

The atmosphere on Collins' visit -- he arrived Friday and returned Saturday to Illinois -- was all it took for Collins to cancel this weekend's visit to Illinois and any future trek to Iowa. "I've never seen anything like it. I never knew people could be that crazy about a basketball team and its players," Collins told Chicago's Sun-Times. "Everybody from the coaches to the players and the fans went out of their way to make me feel important."

Collins is an important recruit. The football, basketball, baseball standout -- Longstreet said he could land a scholarship in any of the three sports -- is ranked the No. 2 point guard in the country by SI.com (Sports Illustrated) behind North Carolina signee Tywon Lawson.

He's rivals.com's No. 31-rated player, but Collins probably is underrated because he did not travel extensively to play ball in the summer months. He averaged 25 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as a junior. Collins, who has been compared to Illinois point guard Dee Brown, is expected to fit in well in the KU backcourt with Mario Chalmers in a setup much like Illinois ran last year with Brown and Deron Williams.

"I don't see it as a problem, rather as a plus, those two playing together. Great players want to play with great players," Longstreet said, adding, "coach Self is known for wanting to play three guards."

This marks the second straight year KU has plucked a player from Chicago from the University of Illinois' clutches. A key in making this happen this year was Self on Sept. 9, the first day coaches could hit the road recruiting, getting Collins to commit to attending KU's Late Night instead of Illinois' season-opening workout.

"I was trying to fill in some dates, and coach Self asked about a home visit and of course asked for midnight," Longstreet said. "When he asked, I filled it in. All along, Sherron knew a lot about Illinois, but not a lot about Kansas. He knew they had a lot of athletes that look good in transition. He's looking forward to playing wide-open transition ball in college.

"I mean, who could outsell Kansas?" Longstreet said. "Maybe Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky or programs like that, but coach Self definitely has a lot to sell." Longstreet was asked if Self's invading Chicago for recruits was a touchy subject. "It's touchy depending who you talk to in Illinois," Longstreet said. "I am still an Illinois guy. I've got nothing bad to say about Illinois, it's a great institution, but it's a situation the kid saw something he fell in love with. If you've got a girl you are halfway looking at and getting ready to date and see another girl a little different and she tickles your fancy, you might ask her out instead."

Now that Collins has chosen a school -- he will sign a letter of intent the first week of November -- he'll continue to concentrate on becoming eligible. He'll take his ACT test this weekend. "That's the other part of it. He has to focus on grades between now and graduation," Longstreet said.