Collinsworth beats the odds to achieve record-setting season

(Scott G Winterton/Deseret News)


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PROVO — Kyle Collinsworth knew as soon as he hit the floor that something was wrong: “The pain was very extreme," he said.

He suffered a torn ACL in his right knee against Gonzaga in the 2014 West Coast Conference Tournament championship game.

There was the physical pain and the emotional pain. He also realized his season was over. The opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament was lost.

“Those were really tough days as a coach,” BYU head coach Dave Rose said. “These guys play their hearts out to get those chances, and then he didn’t get that opportunity.”

His team left for Milwaukee, and he stayed behind.

“When I found out the news I took a couple days of ‘dang, this stinks’ and ‘poor me,’ and then I woke up and I said 'you know what, I’m going to be back, and I’m going to be back better than ever,'” Collinsworth said.

The realistic timetable for an athlete to return to action after an ACL injury is 10 months. Kyle had less than eight months before the start of the next season. There were initially thoughts of redshirting, but he asked his orthopedic surgeon Dr. Vernon Cooley if there was anything he could do to accelerate his rehabilitation.


Those were really tough days as a coach. These guys play their hearts out to get those chances, and then he didn't get that opportunity.

–Dave Rose


“He said six months if I worked really hard and get after it," Collinsworth said.

If was all that he needed to hear.

BYU basketball strength and conditioning coach Bob Medina helped Collinsworth put together a rehab routine that he strictly followed.

“I just focused on what I can do because the list of what I couldn’t do was huge," Collinsworth said.

The long hours, positive attitude and dedication to routine paid off. Collinsworth received clearance from his doctor to play basketball six months after surgery. He was ready to play for the season opener.

“That was a big blessing for me to realize that with hard work and relying on God and relying on the right people to help me you can do anything," he said. "You can do anything you want.”

He played a combined 30 minutes in the first two games of the season without any complications. The true test came in Hawaii and the Maui Invitational. He played 45 minutes in a double-overtime loss to San Diego State and followed that with 40 minutes in an overtime loss to Purdue.

Not only was Collinsworth back, but some of his stats improved post-injury as well. He increased his rebounds, assists and most importantly his free-throw shooting, something he struggled with during his first two years at BYU.

That improvement led to his first career triple-double in the ninth game of the season against Hawaii. He finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 90-70 win over the Warriors.

“Last year, I was so close so many times and then just that one assist I finally got it, and it was like, 'you know what, I can do this'. Then they kept coming one after another.”

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He had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in an 87-80 loss to Gonzaga two days after Christmas.

A week later, he would earn his third triple-double of the season with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against San Francisco.

Suddenly he was just one short of tying a single-season record for triple-doubles in a season.

“I just tried not to think about it because if you think about it too much then I don’t play my game, and my kind of game is what allows me to get triple-doubles," he said. "So I just said you know what go out there and play, rebound, play hard be aggressive and do all those things and some nights it just happens that I get triple-doubles.”

He tied the mark on Jan. 15 against Pacific.

Then on Feb. 7 he had 23 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in an 87-68 win over Loyola Marymount, breaking the NCAA record for triple-doubles in a season held by four players, including future hall of famer Jason Kidd.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “You see that guy play in the league and all the stuff he can do. He’s always been known as a triple-double guy and then all of a sudden I have five and I’m ahead of him. It’s kind of surreal. It hasn’t really set in yet, and I think once the season is done I’ll be able to take some time to step back and really appreciate what I did.”

That time isn’t now. He is focused on helping the Cougars overcome what many outside the program perceive to be a down year. The odds of returning to the NCAA tournament are stacked against them, but Collinsworth has recent experience at beating the odds. He won’t give up, and he will do everything he can to make up for that lost opportunity last season to play in the NCAA tournament.

“When I got hurt people wrote me off too,” he said. “They said ‘he’s not going to be athletic anymore’ and ‘he’s not going to be the same’ so I’m used to that. I love that. I love the challenge, and I’m embracing it every day, and I’m going to give everything I have. The main focus is to win and keep winning.”

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