NC State women’s basketball has seven scholarships at its disposal and used one of them to land post player Amira “Mimi” Collins.
The 6-foot-3 Collins started her college career at Tennessee in 2018-19, then sat out a year as a transfer, before playing the last two years at Maryland. She started 38 of 61 games for the Terrapins, including 15 this last campaign. He nearly equaled her career marks with 7.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game for the Terrapins.
Collins also considered Georgia Tech, Arizona and Kentucky.
“It was just how NC State made me a priority and showed me where I could take my overall game, and where I wanted to be,” said Collins, 22. “It was how I felt valued and the priority I was made.
“I’ll be playing the four. I’ll be shooting three’s, putting the ball on the floor and posting up some. I’ll shoot in the mid-range and be able to do everything.”
Collins will try and fill the void left by the graduation of center Elissa Cunane and power forward Kayla Jones, who were both second-round picks in the WNBA Draft on Monday.
“That was pretty eye-opening and special to see them drafted,” Collins said. “That was a great thing. What they did, obviously I can’t replace because they have a different skillset than me.
“I’m a versatile four, a stretch four. I can shoot the three [14 of 43 lsat year]. I can shoot the mid-range. I can defend multiple positions.”
The former Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI standout played against NC State, falling 78-60 on Nov. 25 in the Bahamas. She had two points and four rebounds in 37 minutes, and now life has thrown a different twist at her by having her join the Wolfpack.
“They play really fast and move the ball really well,” Collins said. “They played as a team. With me playing against them, it wasn’t “Oh, I have to go there [one day.’ It was never like that.”
Collins is good friends with NC State third-year sophomore small forward Jakia Brown-Turner, who attended Forestville (Md.) Bishop McNamara. Brown-Turner and Collins played together in the Nike-based Team Takeover traveling team organization. Team Takeover has also produced current men’s basketball player Casey Morsell and ex-players BeeJay Anya and Lennard Freeman.
Collins’ high school Paul VI is also recognized for its basketball prowess. Duke has a pair of Paul VI players in men’s basketball, and UNC recently had one.
Having Brown-Turner give her the inside information on NC State proved important.
“Jakia was my teammate before we were little,” Collins said. “I just know how my visit went [last weekend] and my talks with Jakia.”
Collins was thrilled to see Brown-Turner tie the game up at the end of the first overtime with a corner three-pointer against UConn in the Elite Eight. She wasn't watching that game as a potential recruit, but more as a fan.
"I wanted them to win and I'm not just saying that because I just committed," Collins said. "It was amazing seeing my friend hit such a great shot."
Collins was ranked No. 49 overall out of high school in the class of 2018, and the No. 8 post player by ESPN’s HoopGurlz. She picked Tennessee over UCLA, Louisville, Penn State, West Virginia and others. However, following the firing of coach Holly Warlick, who was replaced by former NCSU coach Kellie Harper, Collins transferred to Maryland.
Collins had a productive 2020-21 season and finished strong for the Terrapins. She reached double figures in nine of her last 10 games during a run to the Final Four. Maryland fell 64-61 in the semifinals with Collins having four points and five rebounds.
Collins will be earning her degree at Maryland in film and cinema in the next month.
“I want to be a videographer for sports media content. I haven’t really had much work published yet being an intern, but I do have some work. I just haven’t posted it. I’ve been interested for a couple of years now.”
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