Chicago native Sherron Collins will go down as one of the top clutch players in Kansas Jayhawk history and the winningest athlete in the program’s lengthy heritage. While a greater supporting cast lessened his load this season, Collins shouldered his team through a number of uphill battles, making key plays when it counted most.

As a two-time Big 12 First Teamer, Collins led his Jayhawks to the 2007-08 National Title as a sophomore. Although his extremely talented team was the favorite to win this season’s NCAA Championship, Northern Iowa knocked them off in the second round of a disappointing tournament. Nonetheless, Collins earned NCAA First Team All-America status and AP Second Team status.

Collins is a gritty, undersized but powerfully built point guard who possesses a cast iron will to win. Throughout his collegiate career Collins was a consistent shooter, averaging 15.5 ppg this season with game highs of 33 and 28 against Cornell and Baylor, both talented defensive teams. But at 5-11, his size will make it difficult for him to become a prolific scorer in the NBA initially. Collins will depend on his ability to push the tempo and penetrate on offense, his quickness on defense, passing abilities, superb free throw shooting and determination to earn him minutes in the NBA.

The epitome of a four-year player, Collins is recognized as being a natural leader and a terrific person who is respected by his teammates and loved by his community. He reminds me of a Darren Collison type player who could be an effective backup point guard capable of excelling should an injury open the door for him to step up and shine. I have Sherron going early second round.

The “face of Villanova Basketball” will soon become a familiar one around the NBA. After spending four years developing under Jay Wright at Villanova, guard Scottie Reynolds is eager and, more importantly, equipped to emerge as a backcourt talent in the league. Reynolds put together one of the most prolific careers in Villanova and Big East history and was named a 2010 first team AP All-American, joining the ranks of Randy Foye (2006), Kerry Kittles (1996) and Paul Arizin (1950) – the only Wildcats to earn that distinction.

Reynolds led Nova to the Final Four during his junior year, their first appearance since winning the 1985 National Championship. Holding a sizable deck, he flirted with the NBA and entered his name into the 2009 draft, but ultimately decided to return for a shot at a national title. Though that dream fell short, Reynolds had an extremely successful campaign, coming just 21 points shy of Kerry Kittles’ all-time scoring record and becoming immortal in the eyes of Wildcat fans.

Though somewhat smaller than the prototypical pro, Reynolds boasts a strong, compact frame capable of exploding to the hoop. And while he has great ability to fill it up on offense, I believe his defensive instincts will keep him around the league for a long time. Likely a late first round pick, Scottie Reynolds will have a chance to help a playoff team return to postseason competition and perhaps propel them further. Look for Reynolds to follow in the footsteps of the impressive rookie guards from last year’s pool and to make his own splash in the NBA soon.

When I think of shot blockers, towering centers like Olajuwon, Eaton, Bol, Jabbar, Mutombo, Chamberlain and Shaq first come to mind. These seven-foot-plus players have set the standard when it comes to swatting and stuffing. As the NBA has evolved into an above-the-rim league, we still have the prototypical seven-footers protecting the rim – guys like Duncan, D. Howard and Garnett. But we’ve also seen the emergence of 6-10 power forwards (Stoudemire, Josh Smith, C. Anderson) turning back shots at a torrid pace.

The next potentially great NBA shot blocker resides at Mississippi State and his name is Jarvis Varnado. Averaging 4.7 rejections per game this season and over 4.6 per contest since he was a sophomore, the 6-9 power forward finished his collegiate career with 564 blocks and is currently the all-time NCAA leader in this category. A terrific defender all around, Varnado is a high riser with impeccable timing and a nose for helping from the weak side on defense.

Jarvis’s offensive game needs some work, but his increasing points per game average each season indicates that he has both the ability and the work ethic to improve around the hoop. Projected as a late first or early second round pick, Varnado will have the opportunity to develop his low post moves and jump shot among some of the game’s greatest shot blockers, whose names his will one day be mentioned alongside.