Hall of Fame
On his recruiting visit to Washington State, Don Collins recalls how then-Head Men’s Basketball Coach George Raveling landed the standout prep from Toledo, Ohio. Raveling promised Collins he would get the opportunity to play. That promise began one of the greatest basketball careers in WSU history. A four-year letterwinner at WSU (1976-80), Collins is the only WSU men’s basketball player to be named Conference MVP, earning Pac-10 Player of the Year honors in 1980. Collins averaged over 23 points per game that season en route to his third All-Pac-10 selection, earning first-team accolades. During his senior season, Collins picked up several prestigious honors, including the AP All-America Second Team, UPI All-America Honorable Mention, and Citizen Savings Athletic Foundation All-America First Team, while setting a Pac-10 single-season scoring record with 442 points. Collins led the Cougars to a 22-6 record in 1980, the most wins in 33 years, and their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1941. After WSU, Collins went on to a decade-long professional career spanning the United States and Europe. Drafted 18th overall in the first round of the 1980 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, Collins averaged 12.7 points per game as a rookie. He made stops at Washington, Golden State, and Milwaukee over five seasons in the NBA, before moving overseas to play professionally in France and Switzerland. His U.S. career concluded with 303 NBA appearances over six seasons and nearly 10 points averaged per game. In 1996, Collins was named to the Continental Basketball Association’s 50th anniversary team and is regarded as one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the league, twice putting up 63-point scoring games. During his time in France, Collins was named the league’s international MVP three times, awarded to the top foreign player in the French league. Nearly 50 years after getting his opportunity, Collins made the most of it.
