Toolsview all


Thunder basketball: For Collison, father knew best

 
BY MIKE BALDWIN | Published: March 22, 2009    Comment on this article Leave a comment

A first-grader watching his father’s high school practice, Nick Collison spotted a ball on the opposite side of the court. Unaware a turnover had players streaking back to the other end, little Nick sprinted onto the court.

photo - TOP: Nick Collison, right, and his father Dave after the Thunder game against the Bulls on Wednesday. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN LEFT: Nick with his dad after winning a state title in 1998. Nick was Iowa’s Class 2A player of the year, and then was Iowa’s Mr. Basketball along with Kirk Hinrich following his senior year. RIGHT: Nick with one of his most prized possessions, a Michael Jordan basketball that was given to him by his grandmother. PHOTOS PROVIDED
TOP: Nick Collison, right, and his father Dave after the Thunder game against the Bulls on Wednesday. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN LEFT: Nick with his dad after winning a state title in 1998. Nick was Iowa’s Class 2A player of the year, and then was Iowa’s Mr. Basketball along with Kirk Hinrich following his senior year. RIGHT: Nick with one of his most prized possessions, a Michael Jordan basketball that was given to him by his grandmother. PHOTOS PROVIDED

Multimedia

NewsOK Related Articles

  • Oklahoma City Thunder notebook
    03/22/2009 Since returning from a seven-game absence caused by a sprained right ankle, Kevin Durant has struggled to find his offensive rhythm, shooting just 43.1...

"One of my players flattened him, ran right over him,” said his father, Dave. "Because he was always at practice, he was a kid that very much looked up to the high school kids. He would mimic things they did, what shoes they wore, their shots, everything.”

One of only three McDonald’s All-Americans Iowa has produced and an All-American at Kansas, Nick Collison is a savvy NBA veteran with the Oklahoma City Thunder who makes plays that don’t show up on a stat sheet, the consummate example of a fundamentally sound coach’s kid.

"Nick never gets the credit he deserves,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. "He’s an intangible player, the type player every team wants someone like him on their team.”

Those intangibles include saving a ball from going out of bounds, tipping the ball so a teammate can grab a rebound or setting the perfect screen to give a teammate a wide open shot — fundamentals taught by his father, a high school coach in Iowa for 21 years.

Nick always begged his dad to open the gym and when that wasn’t an option, he organized pickup games.

Attending his father’s basketball camps and countless one-on-one instruction sessions in the gym were invaluable. Father and son also watched college games together on TV.

"He didn’t preach to me a lot,” Nick said. "He taught me about being a good teammate, a good player, what a coach expects. He was a huge help growing up, taught me how to play.

Page 1 of 2

Toolsview all



Related Topics: Education, Elementary and High School Education



Leave a Comment

Thank you for joining our conversation on NewsOK.com. We encourage your discussion but ask that you stay within the bounds of our commenting and posting policy. Please help by flagging comments that violate these guidelines. Posts that contain obscene or vulgar language will be immediately flagged and not posted.

If you prefer your thoughts to appear in The Oklahoman, we encourage you to submit a letter to the editor.

Would you like to leave a comment?

Log in or sign up (it's free).

comments powered by Disqus

Ads by Yahoo!

Woman is 51 But Looks 25
Mom reveals simple wrinkle secret that has angered doctors...
ConsumerLifestyles.org
The E-Ciqarette Revealed
The E-Ciqarette craze is sweeping the country. Is it that good?
livingto113.com

Sports Photo Galleriesview all