Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year: Sherron Collins

National Hoops Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year

Sherron Collins, PG, Senior, Kansas

Many believe the Kansas Jayhawks are the top team in the country heading into the season. Hard to argue against that. With the bulk of the team back in Lawrence, the Jayhawks certainly boast the talent.

Sherron Collins will glue it all together. The 5-11 bowling ball from Chicago is the team’s senior leader. Collins led the team in scoring at 18.9 points and assists with five a game. He’s a speedster with big-time athleticism in the backcourt. His play should have Bill Self looking at another Final Four this season.

Collins was a rarity at the time he “blew up” nationally. Few outside of Chicago had actually watched the three-sport superstar in person. He was a legend in conversations amongst the message boards and .com evaluators. It wasn’t until the Boo Williams Invitational where he burst onto the scene and everyone had a chance to watch him.

His first game of the tournament in the back gym at Hampton University was packed with reporters and analysts. Collins didn’t disappoint.

After watching him for the first time, you could say I was smitten.

“He's got wheels for feet, springs for legs, a stump of oak for a chest and every other adjective you can find. Collins is the real deal,” I wrote in 2005.

Collins was the No. 14 ranked player in the class of 2006, according to the RSCI rankings. In hindsight, that might be too low.