The Drury basketball program is over 100 years old. Throughout this 100-plus years a tradition of excellence has been the trademark of the program. From its earliest years at the turn of the 20th century and upon entering the 21st century, Drury basketball has established a success story that is the envy of athletic programs across the nation. Whether as an independent, as a member of the MCAU (Missouri Collegiate Athletic Union), as a member of the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), as an independent member of the NCAA-II (National Collegiate Athletics Association) or as a member of the Heartland Conference or the Great Lakes Valley Conference, winning basketball has been a constant. The Drury Panther basketball program is known as a program of success, embodied by student-athletes who win on the court, excel in the classroom and engage in the community.
One of the players who helped maintain every aspect of that success, as the program moved from the Heartland Conference into the Great Lakes Valley Conference, was Collins Harris. Fact is, he not only helped maintain that success, he was an instrumental part of the teams’ success from the moment he stepped onto the Weiser Gym floor in the fall of 2004 through his graduation, as a biology major, on May 17, 2008. Now in its 15th season as a member of the NCAA-II, Collins Harris’ Drury career was punctuated his senior year as he became only the fourth Panther to earn NCAA-II All-America honors.
The four years from 2004-05 through 2007-08 saw the Panther teams, under the watchful eye of their new head coach Steve Hesser, win two conference titles (co-champions of the Hearland Conference in 2005 and GLVC Champions in 2008); amass a four-year overall record of 88-31; and, qualify for three NCAA-II national tournaments. These teams included the likes of Brandon Kimbrough, who was inducted into the Drury Sports Hall of Fame a year ago; Steven Gum, who (along with Kimbrough) is now a member of the Drury coaching staff; Matt Stell, Kevin Thomas, Tyler Rogers, Frank Bennett and many others. But one major piece of that four-year run of succes was Collins Harris.
Collins, who hails originally from Cleveland, Ohio, came to Drury from Jefferson City High School where he led his Jeff City H.S. team to a 24-5 record and a trip to the Final Four at the 2004 Missouri 5A state championships. The first team all-state selection brought his considerable talents to Drury as he played in all 28 games his freshman season. The next year (2005-06) the Drury athletic program joined the Great Lakes Valley Conference and Collins and his teammates did not miss a beat. Each of those three seasons the Panthers qualified for the NCAA-II National Tournament and claimed the GLVC title in 2008, Collins’ senior season. That 2007-08 team finished the year with a 25-6 record.
While team success is the top priority of any great player, the individual accomplishments and awards bestowed on Collins Harris support his being inducted into the Drury Sports Hall of Fame in this, his first year of eligibility. At the time of his graduation, Collins was the only Panther to ever earn First Team All-GLVC honors three times (he was joined this past year by Alex Hall). His final three seasons he led the Panther in scoring, averinging 19.0 ppg. as a sophomore; 17.8 ppg. as a junior; and, 17.9 ppg. his senior season. He graduated with a career total of 1,910 points...good for the #6 position on the Drury all-time scoring list. He is second on the all-time list for career blocks (107) and third in steals (194). Overall, Collins played in every Drury contest over his four years as a Panther...all 119 games.
In addition to his GLVC honors, in the spring of 2008, Collins was honored by being named a NCAA-II Bulletin Honorable Mention All-American; he was named the Daktronics Great Lakes Region Player of the Year; and was selected to the NABC All-Great Lakes Region District Team. It is with these, and many more accomplishments in mind that today, November 30, 2013 Collins Harris is enshrined in the Drury Sports Hall of Fame, as a member of the Class of 2013.
