Collison: Getting It in Gear as Bruins Win
A few hours ago I almost included an item in my notes column (for Friday's newspapers) about how Darren Collison's position in the NBA draft was heading south.
I was talking to one of the most informed watchers of SoCal basketball, and he suggested Collison would go later in the 2008 draft that he would have in 2007. Maybe in the late 20s range.
Which is the opposite of what Collison had in mind when he came back for his junior season. He wanted to show he was a more developed, mature player, but the results just weren't there.
Well, he just played a very nice game at Oregon as the Bruins clawed past the Ducks, 80-75, after trailing by six late. Collison had a career-high 22 points, with six assists against only one turnover.
UCLA needed someone other than Kevin Love (26 points) to come up big, with Luc Mbah a Moute and Lorenzo Mata-Real out with post-concussion syndrome.
It wasn't Josh Shipp, who was held to seven points. It wasn't Alfred Aboya (three points).
It was Collison, the junior out of Etiwanda High School.
This was the first time this season in which Collison looked and played like the dominating point guard we saw in 2006-07 -- the guy who was good enough to warrant preseason All-America status.
Before tonight, the idea that Collison could be an All-America this season was ridiculous. And he probably won't be, given that it's almost February.
But he appears to have overcome the two injuries that bothered him the first 15 games -- the knee and hip issues. He looked fast, quick and ready to assert himself anew.
I'm glad I didn't make a point of suggesting he was heading south ... because he just made a statement in an important victory at Eugene.
Oh, and one more thing about Collison/Etiwanda. A kid he played with in high school, Jeff Pendergraph, a 6-9 forward at Arizona State, is thought to be a possible first-round NBA pick, too.
Meaning Etiwanda and coach Dave Kleckner had TWO potential NBA first-rounders on their 2005 team. No wonder they won a CIF title.