David Collins Named Contender For Jerry West Award

South Florida sophomore David Collins may not have been as accurate with his shooting last season as he was as a freshman, but he was clutch in key games, was named MVP of the CBI Tournament and was named to the American Athletic Conference all-conference third team. Next season he’ll continue to be one of the most important, and most scouted, players on the team.

Something that has garnered attention from NCAA.com correspondent Andy Katz who, on Tuesday, gave his top 25 contenders for the Jerry West Award-- which goes to the nation's top shooting guard. Collins checked in at number 17.

A native of Youngstown, Collins led the Bulls’ offensive attack and ranked No. 13 in The American with 15.3 points per game, scoring in double figures in all but four games during the regular season. In addition, Collins turned in 10 games of at least 20 points and at one point featured four straight games of 20 points or more. Collins also showed a remarkable ability to get to the free throw line and ended the regular season second in the league and 20th in the NCAA with 170 made attempts. That number also stands as the third-most in a single season in school history and the fifth-most in a single season in conference history.

His 587 points last season moved Collins into a tie for 6th place, with Altron Jackson, on USF's all-time single-season scoring list with 587 points. Jackson scored 587 points in the 2000-01 season.

Collins also proved to be one of the top defenders in the league and stood fourth in The American with 1.8 steals per game. His 55 steals this season rank as the 11th-most in school history for a single season. Collins has now earned American Athletic Conference postseason honors in back-to-back years as he was selected to the all-rookie team in 2018.