Rubin Collins Jr. (born October 19, 1953) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. Born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, he attended Edison High School. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (commonly UMES and also known as the Eastern Shore Hawks) are the fifteen sports teams representing the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Maryland in intercollegiate athletics. ...

from 1971 to 1974. During his junior season in 1973–74, Collins led the Hawks in scoring when they won the MEAC men's basketball tournament and became the first men's basketball team from a

historically black college Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...

to receive an invitation to the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...

(NIT). He was named to the first-teams of the All-

MEAC The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern and the Mid-Atlantic United States. It participates in the National C ...

and All- NAIA in 1974. At the conclusion of his junior season, Collins successfully applied for a hardship from the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA) to be eligible in the

1974 NBA draft The 1974 NBA draft was the 28th annual NBA Draft, draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 28, 1974, before the 1974–75 NBA season, 1974–75 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur ...

. He was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers as the 38th overall pick but never played in the NBA. Collins played one game for the Scranton Apollos of the

Eastern Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

(EBA) during the 1974–75 season. He played for the

Lancaster Red Roses The Lancaster Red Roses baseball team, originally known as the Maroons, changed its name at the start of the 1906 season during a bitter match with the York, Pennsylvania-based White Roses. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named fo ...

of the EBA during the 1976–77 season. He played two seasons in the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

(CBA) for the

Washington Metros The Washington Metros were a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. that was a member of the Eastern Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball ...

Baltimore Metros The Baltimore Metros were an American basketball team based in Baltimore, Maryland that was a member of the Continental Basketball Association. The team was previously known as the Washington Metros. During the 1978/79 season, the team moved to ...

and the

Mohawk Valley Thunderbirds The Utica Olympics, known also as Mohawk Valley Thunderbirds, were an American professional basketball team based in Utica, New York that were members of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1978 to 1980. The team was previously known ...

from 1977 to 1979. He has been inducted into the Maryland Eastern Shore Athletics Hall of Fame twice: as a member of the 1973–74 NIT team in 2004 and individually in 2010.

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College statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Rubin 1953 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Philadelphia Lancaster Red Roses (CBA) players Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks men's basketball players Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Shooting guards 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople