Tank Collins

Last updated
Tank Collins
Personal information
Born (1969-01-28) January 28, 1969 (age 55)
Pomona, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school Pomona (Pomona, California)
College
NBA draft 1991: undrafted
Position Power forward
Career highlights and awards

Derwin F. "Tank" Collins [1] (born January 28, 1969) is a retired American professional basketball player. He played for Presto Ice Cream in the Philippine Basketball Association but is best known for his high school and college careers in the United States.

Contents

Early life and high school

A native of Pomona, California, Collins was not athletic as a child and gave up playing sports. [2] When he was in seventh grade, Collins' father suddenly died. His mother forced him to play basketball to distract him from the death during the summer between his seventh and eighth grade years and would even play Tank herself. [2] She would beat him in one-on-one until he became too good, at which point his older brothers began playing physically with Tank. This laid the foundation for his aggressive style which would come to benefit him later. [2]

By the time he got to high school, Collins was utilizing his 6'5" (1.96 m), 215-pound (98 kg) stature to dominate his opponents. [2] He earned the nickname "Tank" from his physique and physicality. [2] One coach said, "He's like a 500-pound gorilla. He can do anything he wants." [2] Collins kept improving, learned to shoot accurately from beyond 15 feet and quickly became one of the most sought-after high school recruits in California. [2]

During his senior year at Pomona High School, however, he was declared academically ineligible to play most of the season due to poor grades. [3] Through his first seven games he had been averaging 28.6 points and 17.1 rebounds per game. [3] Collins claimed that his focus on basketball as well as the attention he was receiving from 100+ college scouts distracted him from concentrating on his classwork. [3] He did manage to play in the final few games of the season, but he had already proven himself enough to college recruiters where it did not affect his desirability to college recruiters. [3]

College and later life

Tank Collins had to play basketball at a junior college for two seasons to improve his grades before he was able to play NCAA Division I basketball. After his brief junior college career, he chose to play basketball for the Privateers of the University of New Orleans  (UNO). Between 1989–90 and 1990–91, Collins helped guide UNO to a period of great success. The Privateers won American South Conference  (ASC) regular season championships, outright or shared, in both years Collins played. [4] Their season records were: [4]

New Orleans also qualified for NCAA postseason tournaments in each of his two seasons. They earned a berth into the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 1990 and advanced to the quarterfinal round. [4] In Collins' senior season he led UNO in scoring with a 17.3 points per game average. [4] They advanced to the 1991 NCAA Tournament but lost to Kansas, 55–49, in the opening round. To conclude his collegiate career, Tank was named the American South Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year. [5]

After college Collins played in the Philippine Basketball Association for Presto Ice Cream.

Related Research Articles

Allan Vito Flores Caidic is a Filipino former professional basketball player, coach and executive who is currently serving as consultant for San Sebastian Stags. He is considered by many to be the greatest shooter the country has ever produced, thus, earning the moniker, "The Triggerman".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Alford</span> American basketball player and coach (born 1964)

Stephen Todd Alford is an American men's college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach for the Nevada Wolf Pack of the Mountain West Conference (MWC). Born and raised in Indiana, he was a two-time consensus first-team All-American playing in college for the Indiana Hoosiers. He led them to a national championship in 1987. After playing professionally for four years in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he has been a college head coach for over 30 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Howland</span> American basketball coach (born 1957)

Benjamin Clark Howland is an American college basketball coach who most recently served as the men's head coach at Mississippi State University from to 2015 to 2022. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Northern Arizona University from 1994 to 1999, the University of Pittsburgh from 1999 to 2003, and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 2003 to 2013. Howland became the first men's coach in modern college basketball history to be fired shortly after winning an outright power-conference title. He is one of the few NCAA Division I coaches to take four teams to the NCAA tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Floyd</span> American basketball player and coach

Tim Floyd is a former American college basketball coach, most recently the head coach at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He was formerly the head coach of several teams in the NCAA and the NBA. Floyd is also known as the coach of the Chicago Bulls for four seasons. He announced his retirement from coaching after the UTEP game on November 27, 2017.

James J. O'Brien is an American college basketball coach who has served as coach of St. Bonaventure University (1982–1986), Boston College (1986–1997), Ohio State University (1997–2004) and Emerson College, a Division III school in Boston (2011–2014).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murry Bartow</span> American college basketball coach

Murry Linn Bartow is an American former college basketball coach. As the head coach of the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, he was twice named the conference coach of the year, first in the Southern Conference in 2004 and later in the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2007. He was later an interim head coach with the South Florida Bulls and UCLA Bruins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tic Price</span> American college basketball coach (born 1955)

George "Tic" Price is an American college basketball coach. He last coached the Lamar Cardinals men's basketball team. From 2002 to 2007, he served as head coach at McNeese State. Prior to that, he served as head coach of Memphis and New Orleans. Price's daughter is Sports Illustrated model Chanel Iman, who married NFL wide receiver Sterling Shepard in 2017. He is married to the former Jamie Lynn Simms, and the couple has two children - son, Ryan, a college basketball coach who played for his father at McNeese, and daughter, Chanel. He has three granddaughters - Bella Grace Price, Cali Clay Shepard and Cassie Snow Shepard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCLA Bruins men's basketball</span> American college mens basketball team

The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in the sport of men's basketball as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Established in 1919, the program has won a record 11 NCAA titles. Coach John Wooden led the Bruins to 10 national titles in 12 seasons, from 1964 to 1975, including seven straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record four times. Coach Jim Harrick led the team to another NCAA title in 1995. Former coach Ben Howland led UCLA to three consecutive Final Four appearances from 2006 to 2008. As a member of the AAWU, Pacific-8 and then Pacific-10, UCLA set an NCAA Division I record with 13 consecutive regular season conference titles between 1967 and 1979 which stood until tied by Kansas in 2017. In 2024, UCLA departed the Pac-12 Conference and joined the Big Ten Conference on August 2, 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin McKenna (basketball)</span> American basketball player and coach (born 1959)

Kevin Robert McKenna is a retired American basketball player. He is currently an assistant basketball coach at the University of Oregon. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, McKenna played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 to 1988. He played college basketball for the Creighton Bluejays.

Joe Pasternack III is an American college basketball coach. He is the current head coach of the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, having been appointed to the position in March 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball</span> College sports team

The New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team represents New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1904, the Aggies compete in Conference USA after spending 18 seasons in the Western Athletic Conference from 2005 through 2023. The Aggies, who last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2022, are one of 34 college basketball teams with multiple NBA retired jerseys from former players and a team that reached the NCAA Final Four. The team plays home games in the Pan American Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Orleans Privateers</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of University of New Orleans

The New Orleans Privateers are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of New Orleans, located in the Lake Terrace/Lake Oaks neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The Privateers compete in NCAA intercollegiate athletics as a member of the Southland Conference at the Division I level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Orleans Privateers baseball</span> Athletic team of the University of New Orleans

The New Orleans Privateers baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the University of New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The team is a member of the Southland Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The team plays its home games at Maestri Field at Privateer Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Privateers are coached by Blake Dean.

The 1992 Presto Ice Cream Kings season was the 18th and final season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Slessinger</span> American basketball coach (born 1974)

Mark Edward Slessinger is an American college basketball coach who is currently the associate head coach at Indiana State University. Previously, he was the men's basketball head coach at the University of New Orleans. Under Slessinger, New Orleans won over 160 games, with two Southland Conference titles and an NCAA Tournament appearance in the 2016-17 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Thomas (basketball)</span> American college basketball coach (born 1962)

Paul Bernard Thomas is an American college basketball coach who was most recently the women's basketball head coach at Saint Mary's College of California. He previously served as head coach at Hamline and Cal Poly Pomona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016–17 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2016–17 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Gonzaga University in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Mark Few, who was in his 18th season as head coach. The team played its home games at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington. The Bulldogs played in their 37th season as a member of the West Coast Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017–18 New Orleans Privateers men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2017–18 New Orleans Privateers men's basketball team represented the University of New Orleans during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Privateers were led by seventh-year head coach Mark Slessinger and played their home games at Lakefront Arena as members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 16–17, 11–7 in Southland play to finish in a tie for fifth place. As the No. 5 seed in the Southland tournament, they defeated Texas A&M–Corpus Christi in the first round before losing to Sam Houston State in the quarterfinals. They received an invitation to the College Basketball Invitational where they defeated Texas–Rio Grande Valley in the first round and received a second round bye before losing in the quarterfinals to Campbell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994–95 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 1994–95 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represented Iowa State University during the 1994–95 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cyclones were coached by Tim Floyd, who was in his 1st season. They played their home games at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.

The 1990–91 New Orleans Privateers men's basketball team represented the University of New Orleans during the 1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Privateers led by third-year head coach Tim Floyd, played their home games at Lakefront Arena and played as a member of the American South Conference. They finished the season 23–8 and tied for the regular season conference title with Arkansas State. New Orleans lost in championship game of the American South Conference tournament, but earned a bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 14 seed in the Southeast region. The Privateers would lose in the opening round to eventual National Runner-up Kansas, 55–49.

References

  1. ↑ "Derwin F Collins was born on January 28, 1969 in Los Angeles County, California". californiabirthindex.org. California Birth Index . Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Raser, Derek (August 28, 1986). "The Making of a Winner : Tank Collins Almost Gave Up, but His Family Showed Him the Way". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Polin, Mitch (January 22, 1987). "Academic Ax Falls on Tank, Stops Cage Star in His Tracks". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 ESPN Editors (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: Random House, Inc. pp. 314–315. ISBN   978-0-345-51392-2.
  5. ↑ "Catalina, Collins earn ASC honors". The Advocate (Baton Rouge) . NewsLibrary.com. March 7, 1991. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.