Top local recruit Zaon Collins picks UNLV

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020 | 1:44 p.m.

T.J. Otzelberger was introduced as UNLV’s coach on a Thursday in March of 2019. Less than 48 hours later he was at a Saturday afternoon open gym, watching Zaon Collins light it up from end to end.

The coach quickly became convinced Collins was the player he needed in order to return the program to glory and immediately made the Bishop Gorman point guard his top recruiting priority.

The ensuing 18-month courtship process concluded on Sunday, when Collins announced his commitment to UNLV:

The battle to secure Collins’ pledge was long and intense, as UNLV had to beat out power conference programs like Arizona State, USC and Arizona, but the staff’s drive to embed themselves in the local prep scene appears to have paid off.

It’s hard to overstate how important Collins’ commitment is for a UNLV program that appears to be on the cusp of NCAA Tournament contention.

Collins is a bona fide 4-star recruit who checks off just about every box on the court. He’s lightning quick on defense and a gifted floor general, especially in the open court. He’s also a winner with multiple state championships on his résumé. Last year as a junior at Gorman he averaged 14 points, eight assists and three steals per game.

Collins is rated the No. 39 player in the Class of 2021 according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

A look at what having Collins in the fold means for UNLV:

Backcourt building block

The program’s expectation for Collins is that he will come in and be the starting point guard for the next four years, which gives the team some serious stability moving forward.

With Collins penciled in, Otzelberger can focus on building the rest of the roster around him. That doesn’t necessarily mean the team will stop recruiting point guards — Otzelberger wants to field lineups that feature more than one primary ball-handler — but it allows Otzelberger to focus on skill sets that complement Collins.

Collins’ presence gives UNLV a good chance of fielding the best backcourt in the Mountain West from 2021 through 2025. That’s a serious long-term foundation, and that’s why securing his commitment was so vital to this coaching staff.

Kaluma next?

Collins’ announcement is enough reason for UNLV to celebrate, but the good news could keep rolling in with 5-star forward Arthur Kaluma possibly next in line to declare his intentions.

Kaluma and Collins are close friends, as evidenced by Kaluma, a Texas native, joining Collins’ AAU squad Vegas Elite this year. Though the COVID-19 pandemic kept them from teaming up on the summer circuit, there’s a belief that Kaluma might prefer to play his college ball with Collins.

Kaluma, a 6-foot-8 forward, is rated the No. 36 player in the Class of 2021 and would bring some serious juice to the UNLV frontcourt. He announced his final eight in July, with Syracuse, Oklahoma, Arizona State, Arkansas, USC, Teas A&M and Kansas joining UNLV as contenders.

Recruiting win

One of the questions that comes when you hire a young coach from a lower level is whether he’ll be able to elevate his recruiting. And when Otzelberger filled most of his 2019 and 2020 recruiting classes with lunch-pail types, some wondered when (if ever) he would wade into blue-chip territory. Otzelberger went a long way toward answering that question by landing an elite prospect like Collins.

Otzelberger has convinced other good players to come to Las Vegas — David Jenkins and Caleb Grill were coveted transfers and Nick Blake was a top 100-caliber prep prospect, for instance — but Collins is different. There was no prior relationship between coach and player (as in the cases of Jenkins and Grill), and there were legit power-conference programs fighting for Collins’ commitment. By winning that battle, Otzelberger has proven that he can get top talent to UNLV.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.