Being a point guard is a challenge for anyone, but being a freshman guard can be all the more challenging. Iesha Collins understands the challenge she is presented with as she is looked to as one of the leaders of the Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team, and she seems to be taking that challenge head-on.
As she develops as a point guard, Collins knows where she was and where she has to be. Her focus is on learning how to make sound decisions for her team in the toughest of situations and having the will to pull them out of any hole.
“I used to get frustrated a lot so I try to stay positive no matter what the situation because I know as a point guard I have to keep my composure through everything,” Collins said.
You could say it is a pretty good thing that Collins particularly enjoys the competitive nature of basketball and the adrenaline rush that comes along with tough situations.
Collins hails from Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from Bogan High School, where she was a four-year letter winner in basketball. In her senior campaign, she earned All-Area and All-City honors.
When weighing her options on where to attend college, EMU did not have much competition. Collins knew she wanted to go somewhere that was not too far yet not too close to home. So, when Eastern came into the picture it was the perfect distance and became her choice.
Of course, college basketball takes on a different form in comparison to high school. As Collins makes the necessary adjustments to be successful on the collegiate level, passing comes in first place on her list of challenges.
She might not be the shortest in her family (she has a sister who is a couple inches shorter), but the 5-foot-2 guard tends to be the shortest on the court these days.
“In high school I was able to get my passes off more,” Collins said. “Now, everybody is taller than me so I have to maneuver a little bit more to get my passes off, to the post specifically.”
Collins first picked up the game of basketball in the first grade.
“I was tired of seeing girls just run around and do nothing,” Collins said. “I was more interested in seeing the boys play basketball so I just started playing with them.”
In her first season with the Eagles, Collins has seen action in 25 of the team’s 29 contests. She turned in a personal best six points twice this season, once against Marygrove on Nov. 14 and again on Jan. 28 against Akron.
Collin’s favorite thing about being at Eastern is her teammates and the chemistry they share both on and off of the court.
“It’s really like a sisterhood; I wouldn’t rather be with any other team,” Collins said.
In her spare time Collins enjoys playing video games. She also likes to sing and teammate Tavelyn
James has attested to her hidden vocal talent. She usually sings in the shower and particularly enjoys singing songs by Brandy or Chris Brown. She also enjoys making people laugh, as well as, getting a few laughs in for herself.
“I like to make people laugh, and I like to laugh,” Collins said. “I like to laugh a lot, anything makes me laugh even the smallest thing. I’m just a goofy person.”
