Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Jul 5, 2023; Sacramento, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Yuri Collins (41) dribbles against the Charlotte Hornets during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Yuri Collins, the former guard for SLU men’s basketball, signed his first professional contract with the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 16. Collins went unselected in the 2023 NBA Draft, but played with the Warriors in the 2023 NBA Summer League. Collins’ journey to sign with the Warriors was assisted by his record-setting career with SLU. 

“Yuri Collins will go down as one the all time great Billiken Basketball players; He made a huge lasting impact on our basketball program,” SLU Head Coach Travis Ford said.

Before Collins began his career at SLU, he graduated from St. Mary’s High School, which is located in south St. Louis. He currently holds the record at St. Mary’s as their all-time leader in assists and steals. The record setting prowess Collins is known for only grew from there.

In his freshman year with the Billikens, Collins broke the SLU freshman record with 171 assists during the 2019-20 season. Collins led all freshmen in the NCAA with 5.5 assists per game. During his sophomore season, Collins was 10th overall in the NCAA, averaging 6.1 assists per game. Collins’s performance only went up from there.

During his junior year with the Billikens, Collins took on a leadership role with the team. He was named to the Atlantic 10 First-team All-Conference and led the entire NCAA in assists with 267. Those 267 assists made him the record holder at SLU for single-season assists. His former coach, Travis Ford is optimistic about Collins’ future and had this to say about his former record-setting player.

“I’m very excited for him as he embarks on his professional basketball career with the Golden State Warriors,” Ford said. 

Collins’s 2022-23 season and his final year, saw him average 10.1 assists and average 11.2 points per game, which was his best season in his collegiate career. Collins was one of five finalists nominated for the Bob Cousy Award, which is awarded to the nation’s top point guard. 

Yuri Collins’s journey with basketball has taken him from St. Louis to the Bay Area. Collins is most likely to begin his professional career with the Warriors G-League team, the Santa Cruz Warriors as they take on the Stockton Kings on Friday, November 10.