Last Saturday Columbia lost to Harvard 74-71 in the Ivy League women’s tourney title game but still earned an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Lions and the rest of the conference were shut down for COVID in 2020-21, but have now won 23+ games for the 4th year in a row and are heading to the NCAA tourney for the 2nd year in a row. Yesterday HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Columbia SR PG Cecelia Collins about having a triple-double and making the NCAA tourney.
In 2022 as a freshman at Bucknell you became the 1st freshman in more than 20 years to make an All-League Team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? That preseason was crucial for me. I was not a highly recruited player, so I came in with an open mind/worked hard/put on some muscle. It was a learning experience, but I had some great upperclassmen who I could lean on.
Why did you decide to transfer in 2023, and what made you choose Columbia? I was looking for a new environment and wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone. The team was super-welcoming and I trusted them right away: I am very proud of my decision.
Last year you led the conference in assist/turnover ratio: what is the key to being a good PG? I have been able to learn from so many PGs including my teammate Kitty Henderson. When you are surrounded by great players it makes it easy. We have such great shooters that it allows me to get easy assists, and early on I was taught to take care of the ball.
Your 86.1 FT% was also top-35 in the nation: what is the secret to making FTs? I wish I had that answer since I am not shooting as well this year (74.4 FT%)! Confidence comes from preparation, so I was always in the gym trying to make 10 in a row while shooting under pressure.
In the 2024 NCAA tourney you scored 13 PTS in a loss to Vanderbilt: what did you learn from that loss that you think will help you this year? I had never played in March Madness before. It was a rollercoaster of emotions to lose to Princeton on a Saturday and then get selected to the tourney the next day, so this year I will go in with a clear head and execute the game plan.
Last summer you did an internship with the NBA: how was it? It was great! I was an events intern and able to travel to Las Vegas for the Summer League, work at the draft, and connect with so many different people. I learned a lot of new things about the business side of the sports industry and the importance of making connections.
Earlier this month you had the 3rd triple-double in school history (16 PTS/10 REB/10 AST) in a win over Yale to clinch the #1 seed in the Ivy League tourney: where does that rank among the best all-around games of your career? It is up there. It is something I have wanted to do since I was little: you are never sure if you can do something like that, but it was great to share that weekend with Kitty because she did the same thing the night before!
You had a 3-PT loss to Harvard in the Ivy tourney title game but still received an at-large bid to the NCAA tourney: how did it feel to hear your team’s name called on Selection Sunday? It was very exciting. It was different this year because we were predicted as 1 of the “last teams in” so we had more hope. It was such a relief so we will not take it for granted and be prepared for Washington.
Harvard/Princeton also heard their names called: how competitive is your conference considering it contains 3 of the 68 best teams in the country? It is very competitive. When you look at the top-3 teams, we each handed each other a loss during the season. The teams are getting better and better, and we are all grateful for this recognition that I feel we deserved a long time ago. To have 3 bids from a mid-major league is super-cool.
How do you feel about being a #11 seed, and what do you know about Washington? We feel great about it. Our coaching staff has put together a good game plan. They shoot the 3-ball well and have some skilled guards/post players so we will spend a few days preparing for them and then put our best foot forward on Thursday.
