ASU men’s basketball PG Frankie Collins is ‘natural leader’
Nov 6, 2022, 11:00 AM | Updated: Nov 7, 2022, 7:39 am
Frankie Collins #10 of the Michigan Wolverines drives to the basket against Fatts Russell #4 of the Maryland Terrapins in the second half at Crisler Arena on January 18, 2022 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
TEMPE — The consensus from the Arizona State Sun Devils men’s basketball team is that transfer point guard Frankie Collins is in command on the floor.
Head coach Bobby Hurley first shared high praise of Collins after the Sun Devils’ open practice on Oct. 12, calling him the best pure point guard he’s coached.
“I know the guys love being on his team because he finds people and he’s thinking about playing like a point guard,” Hurley said. “And then he’s going to guard the heck out of the ball.”
Collins came to ASU from Michigan, where he averaged 2.8 points and 1.4 assists in 11.0 minutes per game last year. He appeared in 31 games with one start.
While the program’s goal is to get the new faces acclimated, Collins has made an immediate impact.
“His presence has been felt since he stepped on campus,” sophomore forward Marcus Bagley said after practice Wednesday. “Natural leader … Just a guy that’s easy to follow.
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“He expects a lot out of us … I’m excited to get to work with him.”
As part of his decision to leave for Tempe, Collins goes from coached by a former NBA big man in Juwan Howard to a former NBA point guard in Hurley.
“It’s different,” Collins told reporters after Wednesday’s practice. “[Hurley] can show me different situations, different things he sees as a guard.”
Collins’s personal goals include All-Pac-12 First Team and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, but winning is still his No. 1 priority.
“If we don’t win, none of these goals I want will happen,” Collins said. “[But I’m] mostly just focused on the team goals.”
Coming from Michigan, Collins has experience against ASU’s opponent in the season opener on Monday, Tarleton State.
Last season in the Wolverines’ fourth game of the year, Tarleton took Michigan down to the wire in a 65-54 loss.
“They’re going to play their hearts out the whole game,” Collins said. “They’re just going to do the things other teams don’t do.”
Monday’s matchup between these two teams tips off at 5 p.m. MST at Desert Financial Arena. Tune to ESPN 620 AM, 98.7 FM HD-2, the Arizona Sports app or ArizonaSports.com.
