GREENSBORO, N.C. - Wake Forest sophomore forward John Collins earned a pair of honors Sunday as the ACC announced its annual conference awards. Collins was named the league’s Most Improved Player while also earning first-team All-ACC recognition. He was also the runner-up in ACC Player of the Year voting.
Collins is the first Demon Deacon to be named to the All-ACC first team since Chris Paul in 2004-05. He is the first Wake Forest player to be named the league’s Most Improved Player in the four-year history of the award.
The 6-10 native of West Palm Beach, Fla., averaged 19.1 points and 9.8 rebounds this season, posting 15 double-doubles. He led the league in scoring in conference games at 20.3 points per game, becoming the first Deac to average at least 20 points per game in league play since Josh Howard in 2002-03. Collins led the league in field goal percentage in both conference games (63.9%) and overall (62.3%). His streak of 12 consecutive 20-point games was the longest in ACC play since NC State’s T.J. Warren in 2014 and the longest by a Demon Deacon in over four decades. Collins led the ACC in 20-and-10 games with 10 overall and eight in ACC play.
Collins, who averaged 7.3 points and 3.9 rebounds last season, improved his scoring by a league-leading 11.8 points per game and improved his rebounding by almost six per game.
The Demon Deacons (18-12, 9-9 ACC) open the ACC Tournament on Tuesday against Boston College. Tip-off at Barclays Center in Brooklyn is 2 p.m., and the game will air on ESPN2 and the ACC Network.
Collins is the first Demon Deacon to be named to the All-ACC first team since Chris Paul in 2004-05. He is the first Wake Forest player to be named the league’s Most Improved Player in the four-year history of the award.
The 6-10 native of West Palm Beach, Fla., averaged 19.1 points and 9.8 rebounds this season, posting 15 double-doubles. He led the league in scoring in conference games at 20.3 points per game, becoming the first Deac to average at least 20 points per game in league play since Josh Howard in 2002-03. Collins led the league in field goal percentage in both conference games (63.9%) and overall (62.3%). His streak of 12 consecutive 20-point games was the longest in ACC play since NC State’s T.J. Warren in 2014 and the longest by a Demon Deacon in over four decades. Collins led the ACC in 20-and-10 games with 10 overall and eight in ACC play.
Collins, who averaged 7.3 points and 3.9 rebounds last season, improved his scoring by a league-leading 11.8 points per game and improved his rebounding by almost six per game.
The Demon Deacons (18-12, 9-9 ACC) open the ACC Tournament on Tuesday against Boston College. Tip-off at Barclays Center in Brooklyn is 2 p.m., and the game will air on ESPN2 and the ACC Network.
