BYU

Kyle Collinsworth Returns To Utah As A Legend

Kyle Collinsworth was back in town with his new team to take on Salt Lake’s new team on Wednesday night. Here is audio from Kyle and his coach, plus a recap of the matchup.

Kyle Collinsworth Postgame

Texas Legends Head Coach Bob MacKinnon (He talks about Kyle)

 

You might think that the headline is hyperbole. Actually it’s not. Kyle Collinsworth is literally a Legend now. He’s a Texas Legend to be precise. The former Provo High and BYU standout is now on the difficult road to the NBA through the D League.

After a solid camp with the Dallas Mavericks, Collinsworth showed enough upside to earn a place within the organization. Since joining the Legends Collinsworth has shown a lot of what Cougar fans are used to. Coming into the game against the Stars, Kyle had been averaging 4.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game.

Wednesday night’s game was played in front of a very brave crowd at Bruin Arena on the SLCC campus. Despite the snow, there were a few BYU fans on hand to see the return of the NCAA all-time triple double leader. Collinsworth started for the Legends, and received the biggest ovation of any player (including the Stars) during introductions. Salt Lake took care of business with a 129-100 victory, but Kyle Collinsworth was the main attraction.

Kyle got things started quickly. He scored the first basket of the game, and showed good poise as the starting point guard. Collinsworth tried to play a facilitator role for the Legends, although he got very little help from his teammates when it came to finishing plays. The Legends were ice-cold from three, although they hit a few in garbage time. Texas picked a bad night to be cold from the outside. Salt Lake was knocking down almost every three they took. The Stars were 19-31 from three. If you’re bad at math that’s really good. It equals 61%.

After a strong first half, things got rough for Collinsworth in the third quarter. He picked up four fouls out of halftime, giving him five for the game with 2:59 left in the third. The Stars kept building their lead as Kyle sat and watched from the bench. He checked back in during the fourth quarter, receiving another hearty round of applause from his fans.

The D League is a tough place to play if you are a pass first player. There is a lot of isolation and a lot of careless offense. Collinsworth’s unselfish style of play should stand out. While most of the players are trying to show that they can score, the smarter ones realize that their path to the NBA will be easier if they showcase their willingness to play team ball. Kyle is well suited to earn some money as a pro basketball player. Don’t lose hope that he can find a spot in the NBA, but if he doesn’t stick on a team he’ll be able to contribute in some of Europe’s best leagues. He’s a good enough basketball player that he’ll be able to showcase his skills and make money for it.

If you want to see Kyle Collinsworth play in person, you’ll get a shot on December 22nd. The Legends will be back in town and I’m sure there will be a very pro Collinsworth crowd. Kyle finished Wednesday’s game with 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

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