Collison still giving it the ol' college try

by Jeff Goodman

Updated: September 29, 2008, 10:06 AM EST 20 comments

No national title.

"I had made the decision to leave," the UCLA point guard said. "I was set on leaving."

But Collison couldn't go through with it. Not with the taste in his mouth of three straight missed opportunities.

"When I told my mom I was coming back to school, she was in shock," Collison said after mulling over the decision for weeks after the Bruins were knocked out by Memphis in the national semifinals. "She didn't believe me."

Collison's year was a tale of two seasons. He went into the season widely regarded as the best point guard in the entire country.

However, he was injured for the first time in his life and was forced to sit out the first six games. It took him a while to get back to full-strength — not just physically, but also mentally.

"It was hard to get back into the groove," Collison said. "I had never dealt with an injury before. At times, it did get to me — more mentally."

This one was tough because it was a knee injury and clearly affected his speed — Collison's greatest asset on the court.

Collison started to get healthy in the middle of the season and appeared to revert back to the form that made him a preseason first-team All-American. He played all 40 minutes in the Pac-10 title game victory against Stanford and finished with 28 points and also showed the defensive tenacity that makes him one of the elite all-around guards in the nation.

With a healthy Collison and the addition of big man Kevin Love, things were supposed to be different this time around in the Final Four. The Bruins didn't have to face Florida — the team that had knocked them off in the two previous Final Fours.

Collison and the Bruins went up against Memphis in the national semifinals, and it was a game the speedy point guard would rather forget. He was 1-of-9 from the field, finished with just two points and was manhandled by the big, physical Tigers guards in the 78-63 loss.

"It was almost like a re-run of the last three Final Fours," Collison said. "Nothing different. The only difference was that it was my last Final Four appearance. It didn't matter how I played individually."

"You've got to give Memphis credit," he added. "Their main motive was to stop me and Kevin, and it worked."

While Collison's stock appeared to have slipped after a sub-par performance on the sport's largest stage, he and UCLA coach Ben Howland were both told by NBA executives that he was still a lock to be a first-round pick.

"I already proved myself over a three-year period," Collison said. "I was going to get a first-round guarantee."

It still wasn't easy for Collison to stick around for his senior season in college. He knew people would question his decision. Players that are that good don't stick around for four years. It's almost a matter of pride.

But Collison is different. He wasn't a McDonald's All-American. Wasn't coddled by the shoe company folks when he was coming through the AAU system. He was a mid-major recruit until late in the process.

His father, Dennis, said he wanted to get his degree, improve his strength and that money wasn't an issue.

But the bottom line was still trying to go out on top.

"If a player stays three or four years, there's a knock on him," Collison said. "Why did he stay so long? For me, I want to win a national championship. After being to the Final Four three straight years, it's easy to understand what I'm talking about."

"He could have been a first-round pick," added Howland. "But he feels as though he has some unfinished business."

Keith Howard, Collison's former AAU coach, has worked with him for the past four summers and has noticed a difference this offseason.

"He's shown a great effort, energy and commitment to get better," Howard said. "He's focused on winning a national title, and even though he won't say it, he wants to show people he's the best point guard in the country."

Collison will have a new group this season with the departure of Love, guard Russell Westbrook and two former teammates who had been through the trio of Final Fours — Luc Mbah a Moute and Lorenzo Mata.

The Bruins will bring in a talented freshman class that is loaded with perimeter guys, including Jrue Holiday, Malcolm Lee and Jerime Anderson

"I was fortunate that all these guys are coming in," Collison said. "Otherwise, I'm not sure I would have come back. We're going to play a little different without a post player like Kevin. We'll probably play a lot faster."

With a talented young backcourt coming into Westwood, the return of veterans Josh Shipp and Alfred Aboya, it was enough to convince Collison to give it one more go-around.

"I'm too competitive. I have to win a championship," he said. "At the end of the day it's all about winning."