BOULDER — Dominique Collier may have been the state’s best high school basketball player as a ninth-grader. A 6-foot-2 point guard who could dribble through a stampede and score in a variety of ways, Collier was expected to make an immediate impact at Colorado this season, perhaps even start as a freshman.
Instead, the state’s top prep player has had far more valleys than peaks, and more frustration than fun adapting to the college game.
“It’s been real tough,” Collier said. “The frustrating part was missing all those reps I needed, especially early.”
Collier has been trying to play catch-up all season. He suffered a severe ankle sprain soon after full practices began in October and sat out closed scrimmages against the University of Denver and SMU. Then an off-the-court violation of team rules kept him on the bench for CU’s first two regular-season games as a disciplinary measure.
On the court, it has been a constant challenge. Collier has scored more than six points once, Saturday when he had eight points in a 90-58 romp over Washington State. Coming off the bench in each of the 15 games he has played, Collier enters CU’s Pac-12 game Thursday night at Southern California shooting 32.8 percent from the field, including a paltry 21.4 percent from 3-point range. He is averaging 3.2 points and 1.1 assists per game.
Though his prized recruit has struggled, CU coach Tad Boyle hasn’t lost faith in his point guard.
“I’m very, very bullish on Dominique Collier. I want to make that clear,” Boyle said. “He hasn’t gotten off to the start that he or maybe others expected him to have as a freshman.
“The injuries set him back. He just didn’t get those extended minutes on the court early in the season. That hurt him. You get comfortable the more you play. But it’s coming. Dom’s going be a great player before he leaves Colorado.”
Just a few games after his ankle finally felt 100 percent, Collier sprained his left wrist during a Dec. 7 loss at Georgia when he took a charge but braced the fall with his hand. Collier is a right-handed shooter, but wearing a hard brace on his left hand inhibited his creativity with the ball. The soreness also became a distraction.
The wrist injury kept Collier on the bench for two games, including a 62-60 loss to Colorado State. He did not play much during three games at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu and really didn’t feel like himself until weeks later.
Collier acknowledges he began pressing and forcing things early in the season to live up to his preseason hype.
“I learned you can’t play like that,” he said. “You can’t worry about other people’s expectations.”
Coaches say Collier is still adjusting to coming off the bench, which he had never done, and playing with the intensity required in major-college ball.
“He’s figuring out that he has to play hard all the time,” said CU assistant coach Rodney Billups, who has known Collier for years. “He had always been the most talented player on the court. At this level, you have to play hard all the time because everyone is that good.”
Collier has shown flashes that he can be more than good. During one sequence in the win over Washington State, Collier purposely tipped a loose ball to himself to keep a possession alive. Fans may see that occur once or twice during an entire season — by anybody.
“Dom has such a great feel for the game,” Boyle said. “That play was indicative of his instincts.”
It also was indicative of Collier’s potential, CU senior guard Askia Booker said.
“When he gets his confidence, Dom can be one of the best guards in the country,” Booker said. “He’s going to be a problem for other teams.”
Tom Kensler: tkensler@denverpost.com or twitter.com/tomkensler
