According to Sporting News writer Mike DeCourcey, Sherron Collins is the 5th most pivotal player in the country next season. Here is his explanation:
And at #5 on his slowly revealed list? SC. I have to say I agree with him too, we have a chance to make a run at a Final Four (and beyond) with the SC we all have seen flashes of, but if he doesn't keep his weight down we'll struggle to win against quality teams. Assuming Brandon leaves (and it looks more and more likely by the day), SC will have to fill at least part of the scoring void left over, as well as taking his place in the starting lineup. We need plenty of production from our trio of 6-foot-nothing combo guards to make a run, and with Super and Russell's roles more defined SC is the wildcard. Darrell Arthur will break out in my opinion and take the Big 12 by storm, but it won't mean much if we can't get consistent play from ALL of our starting guards. That means that the most inconsistent of the bunch, Sherron, is the player that will define the season. Whether the season is a success or not is firmly on the shoulders of a 20-year-old 5'11" "200 pound" (yea right, closer to 210) kid from Chicago. That sounds kind of scary when you look at it that way, even six months away from tipoff, but I have faith. And you should too. Why? Because you can't give up on a season six months away.
Back to DeCourcy and his verbage...
DeCourcy is clearly aware of Collins' weight problem/issue/whatever you want to call it, as does everyone who watched an ESPN/ESPN2 telecast last season of Kansas basketball. Holly Rowe, unable (or unwilling) to find new content continued to feed us the same "twenty-nine pound weight loss" story all season long, especially during Sherron's hot streak including at home against Missouri and later on on the road in Manhattan. Still, DeCourcy is spot on when he pinpoints SC's weight as the difference maker in his ability. So our season not only hinges on Sherron Collins, it hinges on Sherron Collins' diet plan and bathroom scale. However, a little glimmer of hope is provided by DeCourcy in this little nugget, assuming SC can lay off of the Mickey D's:
I didn't discuss his article much, but the point is clear. Our season hinges, according to Mike DeCourcy, on Sherron's weight. And I can't say I disagree with him either, SC will be the key player to our success next season and he is only effective around 205-210 pounds. If he gets any higher than that, we might see some depressing basketball.
But remember, it all starts in six months, nothing to worry about yet...