22. Darren Collison, G (2005-09)
Why Collison is on this list:
In the modern era, it is rare for a talented player to stay for all four years of his eligibility. Collison is the last UCLA basketball player to do so with a resume as golden as his. Collison was part of Ben Howland’s second recruiting class during his tenure, backing up Jordan Farmar during the 2005-06 season.
In his first three seasons, he helped the Bruins get to not only their first national championship game since 1995 but helped the Bruins get to three straight Final Fours. The last one was alongside Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Love… arguably one of the best UCLA basketball teams since the 1995 championship team.
UCLA Career St
- FG%: .475
- 3FG%: .435
- FT%: .851
- Rebs/gm: 2.3
- Total Rebs: 320
- Assists/gm: 4.1
- Total Ast: 577
- Pts/gm: 11.5
- Total Pts: 1639
Key Accomplishments
- Pac-10 Champs: 2006, 2007, 2008
- All-American: 2008, 2009
- All-Pac-10: 2007, 2008, 2009
- Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award: 2003
After UCLA, Collison joined the New Orleans Hornets as he was selected 21st in the 2009 NBA Draft. Collison has been a bit of a journeyman as he has played with five pro teams. He is currently setting up shop with the Indiana Pacers where he is guiding a few younger Bruins, Aaron Holiday, TJ Leaf, and Ike Anigbogu.