Frankie Collins presents with a calm demeanor off the court. In his postgame media session following Michigan's win over San Diego State on Saturday, Collins sat down conveying an attitude as if he didn't have his best game of his freshman year.
As if he cares more about the team and its success rather than his own. Even if it warrants to act a certain way.
Head coach Juwan Howard calls his young point guard a special player with an infectious smile. Someone who's handled himself admirably in his first season of college basketball and takes ownership to improve upon things that he sees fit.
"(Collins is) willing to learn and has been waiting for his turn and he's going to get better," Howard said. "It was nice to see that he came with that fight to provide that spark when we needed him."
It's exactly what the Wolverines have asked for in a player who's provided that electric plug as a backup. And when they needed him most at moments when the offense looked stagnant and the defense was susceptible, Collins was that facilitator, coming up with grisly plays deemed influential to those around him.
“It's a big spark because I just feel like, it’s just how I am," Collins said. "I’m just energy all over the place. I just want to get stops, like I don’t like to be scored on. I feel like I feed that energy into the players in the game.”
The word spark as stated by both player and coach is how best to describe what Collins did on Saturday against the Aztecs. Seven minutes into the first half, the native of California checked in for the first time in place of DeVante' Jones, whose continuous struggles since transferring from Coastal Carolina remained apparent after turning the ball over in Michigan's opening possession and going empty on the box score before subbing out.
The score was deadlocked at 10 apiece when San Diego State carried the ball mid-court to begin its set but Collins was ready with the intensity for his teammates to follow suit. SDSU brought down an offensive rebound but the put back attempt was blocked by Hunter Dickinson.
On the ensuring possession for Aztecs, Collins would bring down the rebound off a missed layup and go coast-to-coast, racing to the basket to convert the layup. Then, with 10:42 remaining in the half, Collins collected a steal near the sideline and ripped down a dunk that ignited the crowd.
"Everything gets flowing from the defensive end," Collins said. "Last couple games, it wasn't that. Just being more aggressive and being a physical team. Instead of letting people bump us, we have to go bump first."
Collins played a career-high 24 minutes as he went back in with 16:29 left to go in the second half and finished out the game after Jones picked up his third foul, notching a career-high eight points to go along with four rebounds and three assists.
The change of floor general paved way to Michigan becoming a more organized club offensively with more spacing and better ball movement. Despite entering the game hitting below 30 percent from the three-point line this season, the team went 11-of-20, while Dickinson and Caleb Houstan combined for 40 points with the latter totaling a new career-high of 17.
Collins' vision of the court and allowing plays to further develop cemented the change of dynamic that's been missing at times with Jones on the floor. He would also play during each of the Wolverines' two big runs, including a 14-0 spread in the second half in which they pulled ahead by 18 with 7:41 remaining.
Defensively, Collins brought an identity of nastiness that saw San Diego State shoot 39.3 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from beyond the arc.
“With his quickness, his toughness, and his energy, it definitely ignited us today," Howard said. "It’s beautiful to see a young guy growing game after game."
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