By Michael Letendre
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Was there any doubt that Ciara Collins, the All-State basketball star via Bristol Eastern, was going to be successful at the collegiate level?
Collins has been a productive player for the women’s basketball program at Pace in New York – a NCAA Division II team that plays in the ultra-competitive Northeast-10.
The guard has started 18 of 20 games as a freshman and isn’t shy when shooting the ball – setting her feet before unleashing her sweet looking shot.
Collins nearly helped her squad pickoff pesky Southern New Hampshire University this past Saturday but the Penmen were able to stave off defeat, earning a big 77-74 triumph over the Setters.
TBE caught up with Collins from the Stan Spirou Field House in Manchester, New Hampshire after the game and – as always – asked her all the tough questions:
Michael Letendre, TBE: “Your free throw shooting (29-of-32 for the season, 91-percent), nothing has changed since Bristol Eastern. What’s up with that? Your form is always perfect. You always do the same thing at the foul line. Tell me about about your free throw shooting because that helped Pace stay in this game today.”
Ciara Collins, Pace: “In practice, that’s always the first thing I do. I go out there and take free throws. And I just do the same routine, the same thing every time and I just think it’s been consistent. I know I’m confident there too. Every time I’m about to take one, I just tell myself it’s going to go in and it does.”
Letendre: “How do you like playing for the women’s basketball program at Pace?”
Collins: “I do love it. I love the coach, I love the team, I love the environment. The school is good. I do really like it a lot. And it’s definitely a similar coaching style to [Bristol Eastern] Coach [Tony] Floyd which is interesting but I love it. I’ve always loved Coach Floyd. I love [Pace head Coach] Carrie [Shields].”
Letendre: “What more do you need to do to improve your game? Where do you see yourself in six months or a year when it comes to basketball?”
Collins: “One-hundred percent I need to work on my shooting. It hasn’t been falling for me recently. My three-point shot has just not been there [due to] lack of confidence but like my coach says, just because you’re not having a good offensive game doesn’t mean you can’t do things on defense. I just think I need to pick it up, especially with help defense. I don’t know whether or not to help so sometimes, I catch myself in situations where I’m helping and I’m leaving a shooter wide open. And things like that, I definitely need to work a little bit more on the defense and that aspect of help and staying in front of my player, watching my fouls, things like that. And my shooting.”
Letendre: “Speaking of Coach Floyd, he earned his 600th victory the other day against Career Magnet in New Haven. What do you make of his winning his 600th game?”
Collins: “I’m not surprised [laughing]. But he’s awesome. He deserved it. He’s been there for so long. He’s just put so much time into it. He actually came to my game [last Saturday in New Haven] the day it happened. I didn’t get to see him but I called him after and he was like, you know, just being Coach Floyd. But I’m very proud of him. He definitely deserved it. I just wish I could have been there for it. I didn’t even know he was that close. It’s awesome.”
