GLENDALE, Ariz.When Zach Collins walked onto the court for practice at the 75,000-seat University of Phoenix Stadium on Thursday, the Gonzaga freshman couldn't help but drop his jaw."It's just so big in there," Collins said, "and it makes the court look little. The rims look like Nerf hoops."Already that day, Collins and his teammates had ridden on a bus guided by a police escort. Photographers acted like paparazzi as they snapped photos of the 19-year-old at his locker while he entertained questions from a throng of reportersincluding one who asked Collins what celebrity he'd select for a "dream date."Collins didn't hesitate."Margot Robbie," he said. "She's my girl crush."As long as she doesn't mind tall guys, the Suicide Squad star may want to give the 7-footer a jingle. A reserve who averages 9.9 points off the bench, Collins isn't among the marquee names in this year's Final Four, but in three months he could be wealthier than any player in the field.Collins will enter Saturday's national semifinal against South Carolina with a unique distinction as the only potential one-and-done player remaining in the NCAA tournament.Even though he averages just 17.2 minutes per game, Collins has turned the heads of NBA scouts all seasonnot just because of his size, but because of a versatile skill set that includes a soft shooting touch away from the basket and high-level passing skills abnormal for a center."He's got a bigger upside than any player at the Final Four," an NBA scout told B/R by phone Thursday. "Still, it's hard to imagine someone playing such a small amount of minutes and still being so sought after."Indeed, impressive as he's been, any team that drafts Collins will do so based more on potential than productionand that's assuming he chooses to turn pro, which is anything but a certainty.DraftExpress projects Collins as the No. 11 overall pick in the 2018 draft, after his sophomore season. But sources familiar with the situation expect Collins, at the very least, to declare for the 2017 draft and attend the NBA combine, where he'll get feedback from scouts and front-office types before deciding whether to hire an agent or return to school.One big factor could be how he performs this weekend. It's certainly not unheard of for a player to jump significantly in the draft pecking order based on a strong two-game performance on college basketball's biggest stage.Maryland's Chris Wilcox, for example, was considered a fringe first-round pick before dominant showings against Kansas and Indiana catapulted him to the No. 8 overall selection in 2002.Collins conceded Thursday that the NBA buzz surrounding him has been difficult to ignore. Recently, he said, he stopped logging onto Twitter so he wouldn't be distracted during the tournamentand, particularly, at the Final Four, where Gonzaga is appearing for the first time in school history."This late in the season...I don't look at that stuff," he said. "I keep it all in the locker room, keep it with my team. All that stuff will take care of itself when the season is over. We have a chance to do something really special. I'm not trying to let anything get in the way of that."Even though he's never experienced it at this magnitude, Collins is no stranger to attention.Collins helped lead tradition-rich Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas, Nevada, to four consecutive state championships. During his first three seasons he came off the bench, as he was playing behind high-profile upperclassmen Stephen Zimmerman (who signed with UNLV and is now in the NBA) and Chase Jeter (Duke).Collins averaged 17.3 points, 14 rebounds and 6.4 blocks as a senior, when he became the first player to earn McDonald's All-American honors after signing with Gonzaga out of high school. Micah Downs, Kyle Wiltjer and Nigel Williams-Goss were McDonald's All-Americans who signed elsewhere before transferring to Gonzaga.Longtime coach Mark Few has built a dynasty at Gonzaga by winning with transfers and also third- and fourth-year players who have developed in the Zags' system. While one-and-done talents have never been a part of the fabric in Spokane, Washington, Few certainly isn't against it."We [aren't] ever really in that market, because it's a select market," Few said. "Obviously, Zach's got potential, and he's going to have some great choices, and those things will play out after we're done with this."But you know, there's a lot of different ways to build a program. You can do it through attracting the greatest talent out there, or you can do it by getting good players and developing them and getting them to play together. And that's always been our deal at GU."That's certainly what Few has done with Przemek Karnowski, the fifth-year senior who plays ahead of Collins in the paint. The 7'1" Karnowski averages 12.2 points and 5.9 rebounds while playing 22.9 minutes per game.The Zags don't lose anything when Karnowski needs a rest and Few replaces him with his star freshman."I wouldn't want to go against [that sequence]," Collins said. "It's pretty tough. If you're the other team you've got to play both of us different ways because we do different things."Collins said he wasn't frustrated by playing limited minutes:"We've won 36 games. I don't think there's anything to be frustrated about."And winning, after all, is why Collins picked Gonzaga over a list of suitors that included Cal, UNLV, San Diego State and New Mexico. Although he wasn't a huge college basketball fan as a young kid, Collins said he remembered that Gonzaga "would always be deep in the tournament" when he'd tune into March Madness.Years later, when he was in high school, Collins was impressed with the way post players such as Kelly Olynyk, Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis developed under Few, who is known for running offense through his bigs.According to Synergy Sports, Gonzaga is the second-most-efficient team in the nation on post-up touches, with 1.054 points per possession. And 18.7 percent of Gonzaga's possessions end in a post up, which ranks third."This was really the perfect fit for him," Karnowski said. "Everyone knew he was going to develop, but I think a lot of us are amazed that it's happened this quickly."Collins opened the NCAA tournament with 10 and 14 points, respectively, in wins against South Dakota State and Northwestern. But he had just one point and didn't attempt a field goal against West Virginia in the Sweet 16 and scored just six points in 13 minutes in the Zags' Elite Eight victory over Xavier.For Gonzaga to beat South Carolina and advance to Monday's title game, Collins knows he'll have to be at his best."I initially thought, There's no way it's going to be sold out,'" Collins said. "But now I hear it is going to sold out...70,000 seats! It'll be nothing like anything we've ever experienced. We just can't be nervous."We've got to do what we've done all year and lock in mentally."If Collins can manage that, perhaps he'll have his best game of the season and help Gonzaga advanceall while impressing NBA scouts.And Margot Robbie, too.Jason King is a senior writer for B/R Mag, based in Kansas. A former staff writer at ESPN.com, Yahoo Sports and theKansas City Star, King's work has received mention in the popular book seriesThe Best American Sports Writing. Follow him on Twitter:@JasonKingBR.Click hereto getB/R Magon the go in theB/R appfor more sports storytelling worth your time, wherever you are.
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