Darren Collison
Encyclopedia
Darren Michael Collison (born August 23, 1987) is an American
professional basketball
point guard
for the Indiana Pacers
. He was drafted 21st overall in the 2009 NBA Draft
by New Orleans. He is a right-hander and a native of Rancho Cucamonga, California
. Collison was widely considered to be one of the top point guard
prospects in the 2009 NBA Draft coming out of UCLA.
He was awarded the MVP of the Maui Invitational Tournament
in December 2006 and was named the Pacific 10 Conference Player of the Week on December 4, 2006, and again on February 18, 2007. His parents Dennis and June (Griffith) were both elite track and field athletes for Guyana
.
Collison grew up as a fan of the University of Arizona
, but was not recruited by Arizona. He chose UCLA over San Diego State University
to serve as a backup to Jordan Farmar
in the 2005–06 season. Collison became the starting point guard
the following season.
that year, awarded to the best college player 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) or shorter. He was also named the Bruins' co-Most Valuable Player
(MVP) along with Josh Shipp
.
and was selected 21st overall by the New Orleans Hornets.
With Chris Paul out for months at two separate times during the 2009-2010 season, Collison became the starting point guard. Collison handed out a Hornets rookie-record 18 assists and scored 17 points on January 30, 2010 when New Orleans ended Memphis's 11-game home winning streak with a 113–111 overtime victory. Later on March 8, 2010, Collison broke his own record with a Hornets rookie-record 20 assists (along with 16 points) in a 135–131 victory over the Golden State Warriors. In a game against the Indiana Pacers on February 19, 2010, Collison became only the second rookie of the 2009-2010 season to get a triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. He finished 4th in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting and averaged 18.8 points and 9.1 assists, but had four turnovers a contest as a starter in his first NBA season. On August 11, 2010, the Hornets traded Collison and James Posey
to the Indiana Pacers
in a four-team, five-player deal.
| style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10
| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 76 || 37 || 27.8 || .477 || .400 || .851 || 2.5 || 5.7 || 1.0 || .0 || 12.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
| style="text-align:left;"| Indiana
| 79 || 79 || 29.9 || .457 || .331 || .871 || 2.8 || 5.1 || 1.1 || .2 || 13.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 155 || 116 || 28.8 || .467 || .364 || .862 || 2.7 || 5.4 || 1.1 || .1 || 12.8
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | Indiana
| 5 || 5 || 29.2 || .391 || .667 || .636 || 2.6 || 4.0 || 1.0 || .4 || 9.4
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 5 || 5 || 29.2 || .391 || .667 || .636 || 2.6 || 4.0 || 1.0 || .4 || 9.4
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
for the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
. He was drafted 21st overall in the 2009 NBA Draft
2009 NBA Draft
The 2009 NBA Draft was held on June 25, 2009, the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
by New Orleans. He is a right-hander and a native of Rancho Cucamonga, California
Rancho Cucamonga, California
Rancho Cucamonga is a suburban city in San Bernardino County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,269, up from 127,743 at the 2000 census. L. Dennis Michael was elected as Mayor on November 2, 2010. Jack Lam is the City Manager...
. Collison was widely considered to be one of the top point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
prospects in the 2009 NBA Draft coming out of UCLA.
He was awarded the MVP of the Maui Invitational Tournament
Maui Invitational Tournament
The Maui Invitational Tournament is an annual early-season college basketball tournament that takes place Thanksgiving Week in Lahaina, Hawaii at the Lahaina Civic Center on the island of Maui. It is hosted by Chaminade University of Honolulu, which participates yearly along with a field of seven...
in December 2006 and was named the Pacific 10 Conference Player of the Week on December 4, 2006, and again on February 18, 2007. His parents Dennis and June (Griffith) were both elite track and field athletes for Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
.
Collison grew up as a fan of the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, but was not recruited by Arizona. He chose UCLA over San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
to serve as a backup to Jordan Farmar
Jordan Farmar
Jordan Robert Farmar is an American professional basketball point guard for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Super League and Euroleague. He is also under contract with the New Jersey Nets, and is expected to return to the team after the 2011 NBA lockout ends.In high school, he was the...
in the 2005–06 season. Collison became the starting point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
the following season.
College career
During the 2006–07 season, Collison averaged 2.2 steals per game—the most in the Pacific 10 Conference. He also averaged 5.7 assists (2nd in the Pac 10), as well as a three-point shooting percentage of 44.7 percent. Collison returned to UCLA for his junior and senior years and ended up playing in a total of 142 games at UCLA, tied for the most ever. In his senior year in 2009, he was named to the All-Pac-10 team after averaging 14.4 points, 4.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He led the conference in free throw percentage, and was third in assists, steals, and assists-to-turnover ratio. Collison won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith AwardFrances Pomeroy Naismith Award
The Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award is an annual college basketball award in the United States intended to honor shorter–than–average players who excel on the court despite their size. The award, named in honor of James Naismith's daughter–in–law, was established for men in 1969 and for women in 1984...
that year, awarded to the best college player 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) or shorter. He was also named the Bruins' co-Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
(MVP) along with Josh Shipp
Josh Shipp (basketball)
Joshua Ian Shipp is an American basketball player for Galatasaray in the Turkish Basketball League. He previously played for Bornova Belediye...
.
NBA Career
Collison declared himself eligible for the 2009 NBA Draft2009 NBA Draft
The 2009 NBA Draft was held on June 25, 2009, the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
and was selected 21st overall by the New Orleans Hornets.
With Chris Paul out for months at two separate times during the 2009-2010 season, Collison became the starting point guard. Collison handed out a Hornets rookie-record 18 assists and scored 17 points on January 30, 2010 when New Orleans ended Memphis's 11-game home winning streak with a 113–111 overtime victory. Later on March 8, 2010, Collison broke his own record with a Hornets rookie-record 20 assists (along with 16 points) in a 135–131 victory over the Golden State Warriors. In a game against the Indiana Pacers on February 19, 2010, Collison became only the second rookie of the 2009-2010 season to get a triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. He finished 4th in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting and averaged 18.8 points and 9.1 assists, but had four turnovers a contest as a starter in his first NBA season. On August 11, 2010, the Hornets traded Collison and James Posey
James Posey
James Mikely Mantell Posey, Jr. is an American professional basketball player, currently a small forward for the Indiana Pacers of the NBA.-Early life:...
to the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
in a four-team, five-player deal.
Regular season
|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 76 || 37 || 27.8 || .477 || .400 || .851 || 2.5 || 5.7 || 1.0 || .0 || 12.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
| style="text-align:left;"| Indiana
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
| 79 || 79 || 29.9 || .457 || .331 || .871 || 2.8 || 5.1 || 1.1 || .2 || 13.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 155 || 116 || 28.8 || .467 || .364 || .862 || 2.7 || 5.4 || 1.1 || .1 || 12.8
Playoffs
|-| align="left" | 2010–11
2011 NBA Playoffs
The 2011 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs, all seeded 1 to 8 in a tournament bracket, with all rounds in a best-of-seven format. The 2011 NBA Playoffs began on...
| align="left" | Indiana
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
| 5 || 5 || 29.2 || .391 || .667 || .636 || 2.6 || 4.0 || 1.0 || .4 || 9.4
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 5 || 5 || 29.2 || .391 || .667 || .636 || 2.6 || 4.0 || 1.0 || .4 || 9.4
Awards and recognition
- 2004 CIF Southern SectionCIF Southern SectionC.I.F. Southern Section is the largest of the ten sections that comprise the California Interscholastic Federation . Its membership includes most public and private high schools in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Mono and Inyo counties, as...
I-AA Player of the Year - 2005 CIF Southern Section I-AA Player of the Year
- 2007 All-Pac-10 First Team
- 2008 All-Pac-10 Second Team
- 2008 Pac-10 Conference TournamentPacific-10 Conference Men's Basketball TournamentThe Pacific-12 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, known since 2003 under sponsorship agreements as the Pacific Life Pac-10 Men’s Basketball Tournament, and otherwise known as the Pac-12 Tournament, is the annual concluding tournament for the NCAA college basketball in the Pacific-12...
Most Valuable Player - 2008 Associated Press Third Team All-American
- 2008 Collegeinsider.com All-Defensive Team (along with teammate Russell WestbrookRussell WestbrookRussell Westbrook is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA. He was drafted by the Thunder's former incarnation, the Seattle SuperSonics, which relocated from Seattle, Washington to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma...
) - 2009 All-Pac-10 First Team
- 2009 honorable mention in the APAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
All-America basketball teams2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-AmericansAn All-American team is an honorary sports team composed of the best amateur players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not...
. - 2009 UCLA Bruins co-MVP (along with Josh ShippJosh Shipp (basketball)Joshua Ian Shipp is an American basketball player for Galatasaray in the Turkish Basketball League. He previously played for Bornova Belediye...
) - February Western Conference Rookie of the Month 2010
See also
- List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game
- 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-AmericansAn All-American team is an honorary sports team composed of the best amateur players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not...
- 2009 UCLA Basketball team2008–09 UCLA Bruins men's basketball teamThe 2008–09 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team opened the season on November 3 when it took on Cal Baptist in an exhibition game in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins participated in the 2K Sports Classic, Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series, and the John R...
- 2008 UCLA Basketball team2007-08 UCLA Bruins men's basketball teamThe 2007–08 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team was a college sports team representing the University of California, Los Angeles in the Pacific-10 Conference for the 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. In his fifth year as head coach, Ben Howland led the team to its third straight Final...
- 2007 UCLA Basketball team2006-07 UCLA Bruins men's basketball teamThe 2006–07 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2006–07 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bruins finished first in the Pacific-10 Conference standings...
- 2006 UCLA Basketball team2005-06 UCLA Bruins men's basketball teamThe 2005–06 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2005–06 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The UCLA Bruins finished the regular season with a 14–4 record in conference play. After winning the Pac-10 Tournament, the Bruins conference...