St. Louisan Zyree Collins has made a big impact on the college basketball scene as a freshman at Austin Peay State University.
A former star guard at St. Mary’s Southside Catholic, the 6’0” Collins became the Governors’ starting point guard from the opening day and he has emerged as a prime candidate for Newcomer of the Year in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Through 19 games, Collins is averaging 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.4 steals a game while shooting 44 percent from the field in 27 minutes of action per game. Austin Peay is currently 13-6 and 7-1 in A-Sun play, which is good for a first place tie with Lipscomb and Queens (NC).
Collins has also come through with some sparkling individual performances throughout the season. On December 12, he had 25 points, six rebounds and nine assists in a victory over East Tennessee State. He had 23 points, three rebounds and three steals in a victory over Jacksonville State on January 3 and 25 points, six rebounds and four assists in a victory over Florida Gulf Coast on January 8.
Collins came to Austin Peay after a stellar career at St. Mary’s, where he graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer. As a senior, he averaged 31.7 points a game, which was second in the St. Louis metro area. He is the younger brother of Yuri Collins, who was a former standout at St. Mary’s and Saint Louis University. He is currently playing in the NBA G-League with the Long Island Nets.