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Clark sophomore Frankie Collins grows game, profile

Updated January 22, 2019 - 9:44 pm

Clark sophomore Frankie Collins was always quick enough to get to the basket, always crafty enough to finish at the rim and always skilled enough to create for his teammates.

Now, he’s mature enough to know when to do what.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound point guard has six Division-I offers after scoring one from New Mexico on Tuesday. Oklahoma and Texas Christian also have offered Collins, solidifying his unwavering belief that he is growing into one of the West Coast’s best primary ballhandlers.

“I lead this team, and I do things that other players had to do last year … It’s a lot of fun,” Collins said. “I can do everything. I like to get my teammates involved. I like to make sure they eat, and I eat, too.”

Collins grew up in Sacramento, California, and moved during middle school to Las Vegas, where he promptly established himself as one of the top young guards in the city.

He spent a few weeks during eighth grade in Milwaukee with his his uncle, Monty Buckley — then an assistant coach with the NBA’s Bucks — to observe how professionals practiced and prepared.

“He was doing three-a-day (workouts),” Buckley explained. “It was just the mentality. ‘If you really want to do this, and you want to go to college, then let’s do this.’ It’s like anything, the more he sees you have to work and what you get out of that, the more gasoline is on the fire.”

Collins was inspired by that experience and continues to work out multiple times a day. He earned a spot on Clark’s varsity last year as a freshman, averaging 6.5 points and 1.7 assists while finding a fit alongside several Division I upperclassmen.

“He was a tough kid, played hard,” Chargers coach Chad Beeten said. “But didn’t have much of an idea how to play.”

So Collins continued his rigorous training during the club season and was ready to assume the a bigger role for the Chargers in the fall. He’s playing at his pace this season, with a much better feel for when to score or facilitate.

He’s averaging 11.6 points, 4.3 assists and shooting 48 percent.

“We’ve got a high bar set for Frankie, and we’re going to keep pushing him,” Beeten said. “He isn’t even close to where he’s capable of being, and that’s a good thing.”

Division I commitments

Faith Lutheran senior defensive back Greg Oliver and Desert Pines running back Jamel Brown announced this weekend their college commitments via Twitter. Oliver is off to Portland State, Brown to Charlotte. Centennial senior guard Ajanhai Phoumiphat also announced her commitment to Chicago State.

The commitments won’t be official until they sign national letters of intent. Football signing period begins Feb. 6.; basketball begins April 17.

Gorman boys in rankings

Bishop Gorman’s boys basketball team remained No. 9 in USA Today’s Pacific Region rankings. The Gaels (16-3) on Saturday beat rival and 10th-ranked Findlay Prep. The Pilots since have dropped from the top 10.

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.

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