Clemson’s men’s basketball team is already dealing with its fair share of injuries, but the list is even longer than what’s been publicized.
While the Tigers went through Wednesday’s game against Wake Forest without its starting frontcourt, Clemson’s backcourt was intact. Clemson coach Brad Brownell revealed afterward that was only because David Collins continued to push through thumb and thigh injuries that have been bothering the senior guard all season.
Brownell said Collins didn’t practice at all leading up to Clemson’s win over the Demon Deacons.
“I didn’t know if he was going to play (Wednesday),” Brownell said. “He barely did much in the shootaround (Wednesday) morning. You could see him limping.”
Collins played 30 minutes, scoring seven points, dishing out four assists and grabbing a team-high eight rebounds in a win that snapped Clemson’s six-game losing streak. The 6-foot-4 guard is still the Tigers’ leading rebounder at 7.0 boards per game.
The South Florida transfer has started all 27 games he played this season, averaging 10 points and 2.5 assists on the season. He served a one-game suspension against Notre Dame four games ago after committing a flagrant foul against Duke on Feb. 10 that got him ejected from that game.
But Collins has been available for the Tigers for most of the season even with the injuries. Brownell said Collins reaggravated his thigh injury during the course of Wednesday’s game.
“He got kneed in the thigh,” Brownell said. “He’s had an issue with his thigh all year, and there are just games where it’s really hard for him. He’s got kind of that big, physical body, and he plays so hard with so much physical contact. He’s one of those guys that is going to be hurt some.
“His thumb has been bad all year, and every time he starts to get better, somebody hits it. It’s just something he’s had to deal with.”
Clemson won’t have Hunter Tyson (broken clavicle) and could still be without PJ Hall (foot) when it travels to Boston College on Saturday, but Collins should be available for the rematch of a game the Tigers dropped by two in mid-January.
“At this time of the year, you just do the best you can,” Brownell said. “He gutted it out (Wednesday). You could tell he was hurting. He showed great toughness and fight.”
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