Four-year stars are rare in today’s college basketball landscape, which makes Darren Collison’s career seem like it belongs in a time capsule. The former UCLA point guard was the last Bruin to be taken in the NBA draft after exhausting his college eligibility, going 21st overall in 2009.
Now entering his seventh season as a pro, Collison took some time to talk about his NBA career, the growth of his youth basketball camp, and his thoughts on the state of UCLA men’s basketball.
Q: You’ve spent a lot of your career as a backup and journeyman. What did it mean for your career to sign a three-year contract with the Sacramento Kings and have a chance to be a starter?
It was a big step in my career. We all talk about stability, whether you’re working in the real world or you’re playing sports. I think stability was a part of my success this past season, because you kind of know where you’re going to be, you know who the coach is going to be, you know who your teammates are.
Q: The last time you had started full-time was with the Indiana Pacers. What was the difference in doing so again three years later?
I’m more confident than I was when I was in Indiana. I was still figuring out my way around (back then). I was ready to go (this time). I was ready to show the league that i was more than capable of starting. Not just starting, but being an above-average starter.
Q: You averaged a career-high 16.1 points as well as 5.6 assists before your injury. Do you feel like you proved people wrong?
Without a doubt, but at the same time, I knew my capability. People only came to that conclusion (that I couldn’t) because I’d been coming off the bench for a year and a half. They didn’t really do their research as to why I was coming off the bench. I knew I could start for any team. … I didn’t really care what team.
Q: How was the transition from a playoff team like the Clippers to a rebuilding one like the Kings?
It’s frustrating. You’re so used to a certain success as an individual and as a team. Anytime you go through a season like we did with the Sacramento Kings, coming from the Clippers. It’s definitely a big change in your career. I just had to manage my emotions the best way I could. I just continued to push through. It’s just adversity. There’s no excuse on my part. I’m more than happy to be with the team right now.
Q: Your season ended after 45 games when you tore your core muscles and needed surgery. How is your recovery going?
I’m doing good. I’m doing a lot better than I was two, three months ago. I’m running now. I’m doing things I wasn’t doing, working out the little kinks that I had as far as injuries this past season. Right now, I would probably say I’m around 80 percent. I say that because I haven’t played in a game. I really won’t know until later on in the offseason.
Q: Is this the most significant injury of your career?
Yes, only because of the time that I was out. I’ve never been out this long in my career. Mentally, I had to deal with it the best way I could. My family helped me get through it, and my faith, so I was fine in that aspect. … I just had a newborn son last year, so he kind of helped me get through it as well. I had a lot of time to spend with him, my wife, my friends and family. They kind of take your mind off basketball.
Q: You’re holding your youth basketball camp for the fifth year at Etiwanda High. How much has it grown compared to what you expected at the beginning?
I wasn’t sure how it’d grow. The first time I was doing it, I was nervous. I didn’t know how many kids would show up for the camp. But I just had so much to teach. I wanted everyone in the area to experience that. Now, it’s grown pretty good. A lot of kids are coming through. I’m able to get the things off my chest in basketball, and in life as well.
Our life is not predicated on basketball. It’s more than just basketball. I’ve gotten a chance to tell the kids that for the past few years.
Q: It’s geared toward kids from third grade through eighth grade. Why focus on this age group versus those younger or older?
I think third grade to eighth grade is a pivotal time before you get to high school. High school, you’ve got to be on your Ps and Qs. In college, you’ve got to be more of an adult. … Basketball-wise, I think kids start at a young age. They’re becoming really skilled. It’s important for us to start early.
Q: How do you think UCLA men’s basketball did this past season?
I thought they did good. I thought they did more than what people expected. The coach has been doing a very, very good job with those guys. It doesn’t surprise me. When you go to UCLA, there’s a certain standard you have to play to. … You’ve got to bring it. I thought they did a good job of doing that last year.
Q: The Bruins are coming off back-to-back Sweet 16s, but they also seem to be slipping from the top of the conference. Do you think the program is on the right track?
Yeah, I mean, I think it comes and goes. You have your period when you have a little bit of success and players want to come to UCLA, and you have a little bit of a dry spell. … UCLA is not an easy school to win at. I think the more we win, the more people will come. There are a lot of things going on in L.A. now too. That can take away from the attention.
Q: How about college basketball as a whole? Attendance has gone down in recent years, and there’s been some hand-wringing as to whether or not the sport is at a crossroads. Does it seem like it’s in a different place than when you were in school?
That’s the first time I’ve heard that. I don’t know. That’s surprising. I always thought attendance would be the same. I really can’t comment on that to be honest. It is surprising that it would even come to that. If players are staying for a year, two years, they shouldn’t have a problem with that.
Q: Some conference commissioners have tossed around the idea of “freshman ineligibility” in recent months, presumably as a way to reduce the one-and-done phenomenon. How do you think that would work?
That’s bizarre. That’s crazy. I don’t think that’s fair to the athlete. I don’t think that’s fair to the students. I don’t think that’s fair to the fans. If you’re in a regular work environment, nobody’s going to tell you to stay at home for a year before you start working. These kids are there for a reason. …
Me personally, I feel like college is trying to benefit themselves by holding kids back. They’re using that strategy to make more money and hold kids back. If they’re doing that for themselves, I don’t see why kids can’t think for themselves. Sometimes, kids can’t feed their families. They’re becoming men of the households at a young age. But holding kids back a year, I don’t think that’s fair. Kids can always go back and finish their education. A lot of NBA players still do that.