By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
Cecelia Collins earned Patriot League honors as one of Bucknell University’s leaders in each of her first two seasons, but she plans to complete her college basketball career elsewhere.
The Scranton Prep graduate and NEPA Elite Clark 17U alum entered the National Collegiate Athletic Association Transfer Portal Friday morning. That move allows Collins to begin exploring other options while also opening the door for other NCAA Division I programs to recruit her.
“I think I just needed a different opportunity,” Collins said. “I have all love for people at Bucknell. I’m so grateful for everything they’ve done for me, but I just felt that it was time to move on.
“Obviously, I consulted with my parents a ton and talked with my family. I just thought I would be a little bit more happy to enter the portal and see if any opportunities came my way.”
Collins’ performance in two seasons at Bucknell make that likely. She was a Patriot League All-Rookie Team selection as a freshman and led the Bison while repeating as a second-team, all-star in her recently completed sophomore season.
“It’s kind of a mixture of a bunch of things,” said Collins, declining to point to academics, basketball or campus life as weighing more heavily in her decision. “ … Obviously, basketball is a huge part of my life, but you have to take into account a lot of different things.”
Collins recently declared political science as her major at Bucknell, where she will complete this semester in May before likely moving on. She said she could be open to switching to a major that would allow her to stay involved in sports after college.
As for whether she is likely to try to move up, down or to a parallel level of Division I women’s basketball, Collins said, “I’m kind of open right now. I’m not against moving up, but I’m not thinking like I have to.
“I’m kind of looking for somewhere that fits me the best and fits my playing style the best.”
Collins was a Patriot League All-Tournament Team selection in her freshman season when she started all 34 games, averaging 11.1points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 44.2 percent from the floor and playing a team-high 44.2 percent.
Despite missing some time with an injury, Collins started 21 games as a sophomore. The 6-foot guard averaged 14.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 33.3 minutes per game.
Prior to Bucknell, Collins played major roles on championship teams. She was a two-time, all-stater, including Class 4A first-team as a senior at Scranton Prep where she helped the Classics to a 52-0 record in the Lackawanna League with four Division 1 titles to go along with four District 2 championships. She helped NEPA Elite win Hoop Group Showcase League 17U titles in the AAU program’s first two seasons.
