Collins' knee pain no obstacle now

You look at Sherron Collins and you don't see someone babying himself. You see a tough edge in his eyes, born from spending more than a few nights on the streets of his native Chicago. Look closer and you'll see scars on his arm, another on his face from battles fought on and off the basketball court or football field.

You watch Kansas' 5-foot-11 guard make those drives into the lane, just daring some tall hulk to get in his way, and you figure he has no fear.

So it was a little surprising that last week KU coach Bill Self challenged Collins to play through the pain of his bruised left knee. But sometimes even the toughest need a kick in the pants.

"It's going to hurt," Self said he told him. "Structurally, you're fine. You're going to have to decide how bad you want to be out there."

Collins answered by playing 49 minutes, scoring 19 points and passing out six assists to help KU get past the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. But that was in Omaha, and the opponents were Portland State and UNLV.

This is Motown. Tonight is Villanova and the Sweet 16 at Ford Field. Forget the Wildcats are a 12 seed, that KU is the Midwest Regional's top seed.

Villanova means tough guards. That's the way Jay Wright coaches them up. Remember Curtis Sumpter? Mike Nardi? Allan Raye? Three years ago in Philly, those guys broke KU down for 15 steals in an 83-62 Villanova victory. And it wasn't that close.

They're all gone. In their place are young Cats. Sophomore Scottie Reynolds and freshmen Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher. Especially Reynolds.

"You don't want to mess with Scottie," teammate Dwayne Anderson said. "He's a perfect guard fit for coach. You know, really get after it."

That brings it back to Collins. It's been well established over Collins' injury-marred season that the Jayhawks' tournament life depends on how much juice they can draw from their sparkplug.

Collins said this is nothing like last year, when he was hobbled by tendinitis in both knees during the postseason.

"I could barely move then," he said. "This is going to hurt regardless. It hurts more in practice. But in a game, I'm focusing more on what I have to do to win the game. The adrenaline is flowing. Coach knows I'll play.

"It's something I can play with, something I will play through."

So KU has to hope.

The first two rounds were a cake walk for the Jayhawks. Tonight they get their first real tournament test. Not just because Villanova is guard oriented, but because it has the most talented guards KU has seen this side of Texas and D.J. Augustin.

Even Villanova's 6-8 big guys, Dante Cunningham and Antonio Pena, create problems for KU's guards.

"Everyone is an interchangeable part," Self said. "You'll see Reynolds guarding the post, their big guys guarding the guards because they can slide like guards. We've got our hands full."

Not so much if Collins' game is up and his concerns for his knee are down. Villanova is best when the tempo is slow. The Jayhawks prefer a fast pace. No one dictates KU's tempo better than Collins.

"It's the nature of my character," Collins said. "Sometimes I can make plays that change a game, and I won't even know it. Someone will tell me later, and I'll think, 'Oh, I did that?"'

He can pop a three, but the lane is where he counts most.

"I live for the paint," Collins said.

That's where his stocky body keeps on ticking after contact. It's hard to knock his 200 pounds off course. His eyes are open, looking to shoot, pass or take the hit for a foul.

"All good things," KU forward Darrell Arthur said. "Sherron's the one guy we have that can beat his man off the dribble. When he gets the paint, he draws help and gets people open. People don't know what he's going to do when he gets in the lane. He has them on their heels."

Collins knows what he's up against. He and Reynolds played against each other in the McDonald's All-American game. Last June they worked together at Steve Nash's camp. A month later they tried out for the U.S. Pan American Games team. Reynolds made it, Collins didn't.

When Collins had surgery in November to repair a stress fracture in his foot, Reynolds sent him a text message: God bless you and hope everything's all right.

"Sherron is good. Tough, tough competitor," Reynolds said. "I know he's been hurt some this year, but nothing is going to slow him down now. I know that much about him."

Collins' teammates know him better.

"He's probably not as loose as he wants to be," Russell Robinson said. "He struggles a little bit on defense. But when it gets to the offensive end, everything is fine. I think it's a mental thing. As long as he can get out there, he'll be fine."

But no one knows Collins better than Collins.

"I'll be ready," he said, "for anything."

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