Recruiting Report: Ethan Collins (2019)
GlenOak basketball fans won’t have to stare at 6’5” guard/wing Ethan Collins (2019) on the sidelines all season again. After sitting out all of last season because of OHSAA transferring regulations, Collins is now eligible and motivated.
“I played freshman year for [Canton] McKinley and transferred sophomore year. I wasn’t able to play that whole season … I played a scrimmage with McKinley [last] offseason. And if you play one of those, you have to sit out a certain amount of games and I transferred too late,” Collins explained.
The time away from the public eye lit a spark inside Collins.
“I think it was a good thing and a bad thing. I have a new look on basketball. I missed it so much to where I think I was kind of messing up a little bit during that time. So it’s like, I missed it so much, so I’m putting a lot more time into it,” Collins said.
Collins was able to play grassroots ball with the TNBA program, where he caught our eye in Reynoldsburg one weekend. He has good size for a shooter. Collins excels with the catch-and-shoot or one dribble pull-up He’s tall enough to shoot over other guards and can switch onto various matchups on a defensive possession.
“Growing up, they always put me down low as a center because I was always the tallest player. But, now, I play more at the wing.”
“I think that’s why I can be versatile on defense, because growing up I always guarded the tallest player. Or I can guard the point guard, the small guy, without him blowing by me,” Collins said.
Collins’ shooting opportunities will open up once he establishes himself as a threat to attack the rim.
“This offseason, and this whole stretch that I didn’t play, that was my main focus was getting down low and getting my handles right so that I could work on my drive game,” Collins said.
Collins projects as a perimeter wing at the next level. He could likely play either the 2 or 3, depending on where he ends up at.
For the moment, his recruitment hasn’t been too hectic.
“I’ve talked to a lot of coaches at AAU tournaments. Whether it be letters or just talking to coaches … Like Heidelberg. But I did see some big ones down in Chicago when I went with TNBA: Ohio, Youngstown, colleges like that,” Collins said.
Expect Collins to see his recruitment rise significantly as he gets more exposure on the floor. He currently carries a 2.5 GPA.