(CSTV U-WIRE) LAWRENCE, Kan. — Steve Nash is a South African born, Canadian raised two-time NBA MVP for the Phoenix Suns. Sherron Collins is a Chicago-bred sophomore guard for a Final Four contender.
A little different? Uh, yeah. But Collins, who’s listed at 5-foot-11, found a common link in their size.
“You see him on TV a lot,” Collins said, “and you’re like, ‘man that’s Steve Nash. He’s so good.’ Then when he’s that close you see how little he is and still able to do the things he does. I’m not that big either so to meet him — just a thrill.”
Collins and fellow Kansas guard Mario Chalmers learned from Nash for three days in early July at the Steve Nash Skills Academy in Union, N.J. Both said they came back with more knowledge of the point guard position and newly-learned techniques they can show off while leading the Jayhawks this season.
At first, Collins and Chalmers didn’t think they’d learn any new skills from Nash because Kansas coach Bill Self originally told them they’d just be working at the camp.
Later, Collins and Chalmers discovered they’d actually be competing and doing drills with eight of the other top point guards in the country.
Each day of camp started with drills that focused on passing, dribbling and jump shooting. Then the players would scrimmage each other five-on-five. On the final day, the college guards played against a group of the best high school guards.
“Mario and I did a good job against those guys,” Collins said. “We really made a name for ourselves and stood out.”
NBA scouts watched almost all of it. That was particularly pleasing to Chalmers.
Chalmers, perhaps more than Collins, had something to gain from this camp. He hasn’t been Kansas’ main point guard since the middle of his freshman season. Self moved him to shooting guard where he’s stayed since and excelled, averaging 12.2 points per game last season.
Chalmers said it’s up to Self to decide where he’ll play this season and that he’d be willing to play either guard position. But that won’t be the case in the NBA. He’ll have to play the point because of his 6-foot-1 height. The camp allowed Chalmers to learn the position and show scouts he’ll be ready for the pros.
“It was a great opportunity to learn from one of the best point guards in the world,” Chalmers said. “This camp gave me some ideas of what it will be like playing at the next level. Anytime you can do that, it’s a great opportunity.”
Unlike Chalmers, Collins played point guard most of the time last season. He developed a reputation for coming through at the end of games. His clutch scoring helped lead Kansas to victory against Kansas State and Missouri.
Now as a sophomore, Collins said he’d have more responsibility. His lessons from Nash will certainly help with that. He said Nash’s camp taught him intangibles and fundamentals that he’d never learned anywhere else.
Nash gave Chalmers and Collins a few other tips about point guarding too. But they won’t display those until the season starts.
“He showed us a lot of tricks,” Collins said. “I’m not going to say because I don’t want anyone to know our little tricks. It’s about getting more out of the pick and roll, but it’s also little things people can’t see.”