3/15/2021 basketball Edit

Report: South Florida guard David Collins to enter transfer portal

Russ Wood • BullsInsider

Managing Editor

TAMPA, Fla., (MAR. 15, 2021) -- David Collins, a 6-foot-4 guard who started 97 games during his four year South Florida career has entered the transfer portal. Collins will have immediate eligibility at his new school.

The Youngstown, OH native had the option of staying at USF for one more season as a super senior –a term used to describe players who would have been out of eligibility after the 2020 season, but are taking advantage of the NCAA granting an extra year to student-athletes because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jeff Borzello was first to report on Collins' decision.

South Florida, USF, Bulls — Jan 12, 2020; Tampa, Florida; South Florida Bulls guard David Collins (0) drives to the basket against Memphis Tigers guard Alex Lomax (2) during the first half at Yuengling Center. (Photo by: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

Collins ends his USF career ranked seventh all-time in scoring (1,540), first all-time in free throws attempted (740) and in free throws made (493), fourth all-time in steals (186) and seventh in most games played (116). Collins was named to the 2018 AAC All-Freshman team and the 2019 AAC Third Team as a sophomore.

In his senior season Collins averaged a team high 30.3 minutes and 12.5 points per game. It is the third consecutive season he led the Bulls in scoring and minutes played. Collins also led the team in assists (3.4 per game), steals (1.3 per game) while also averaging 3.5 rebounds per contest.

As a junior Collins averaged a team-high 32.6 minutes per game. He led the team and ranked 11th in The American in scoring with 13.7 points per game plus he was second on the team and sixth in the conference with 1.8 steals per game.

Collins’ sophomore season turned out to be the highlight of his career. He started all 37 games in which he played, averaged a team high 33.6 minutes per game and scored the sixth-most points (587) in a single season in school history. He led the Bulls and ranked 12th in The American in scoring with 15.9 points per game and scored at least 20 points in 12 games. When USF won the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) Collins was named tournament MVP.

As a freshman Collins’s 10 points per game made him one of three Bulls to average double-digits for the season. He missed five games due to a left knee sprain but started the last 13 games of the season. Collins became the fifth USF freshman ever to score 30-plus points when he scored 30 in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Championship vs. Memphis on Mar. 8, 2018.