Any of Daniel Collie’s upcoming games as a Raider could be his last, but his ample amount of leadership may very well guide Wright State somewhere it hasn’t been in 9 years, the NCAA tournament.
Collie’s start on senior night Feb. 20 against Northern Kentucky was only the fifth of his 4-year Raider career at guard. He felt it was a bittersweet moment.
“It is really hard to focus on the basketball part of the game because it is such an emotional time,” Collie said. “You play in a gym for 4 years and don’t really think about the end when it comes. When it does, you’re not ready for it to be over.”
Collie received only Division II and III offers out of Parkersburg Catholic high school in West Virginia, but that did not stop him from relentlessly searching for a Division I college that would give him a chance. After emailing over 50 Division I schools about walking-on, he was able to secure a spot at the end of the Wright State bench.
“I just wanted to play at the next level,” Collie said. “I wanted it because if you are going to go after your goal why don’t you try to be at the highest level you possibly can.”
Collie’s father Aaron played basketball at Marshall University and his mother Erin was a state champion in high school basketball. They were in attendance as their son gave his senior night speech.
“My dad is a big sports fan. He was just enjoying the atmosphere, “ Collie said. “My mom kept asking me the whole week if she should dress up or not. She was a little emotional, but they thought it was great.”
If there was any silver lining when the Wright State lineup was decimated by injuries last season, it probably came when Collie got his first chance to lace up as a starter against Youngstown State.
“All of your life you grow up dreaming about that one moment when the lights are on,” Collie said. “Then your name is called on the big stage. It finally being fulfilled was a dream come true and I just wish I could have done more to win that game.”
Daniel Collie looks to pass against Northern Kentucky.
Collie’s strong leadership off the court is clear in the eyes of WSU head coach Billy Donlon.
“I don’t know how many teams that I’ve ever been associated with either as a player or coach where one voice, when he spoke, everybody in the locker room listened,” Donlon said. “That is Daniel Collie.”
“The other significant part about that is I always knew Daniel Collie would tell his teammates the correct thing. That makes our jobs as coaches really easy.”
Collie earned a nickname during his playing career that seemed fitting considering his fight as a player in the weight room and on the court.
“I’ve been known to grow a really large beard. Coach Donlon called me wolverine one day, and it just stuck since my sophomore year,” Collie said.
After his Raider career closes, Collie, who is an accounting major, hopes to return to his home state of West Virginia and work for his family’s construction company. Though he has not ruled out the possibility of getting into coaching one day, Collie should still remain a familiar face at Wright State basketball games.
“I will definitely come back for a couple of games every season for the rest of my life,” Collie said. “I don’t know how many people will want my autograph in the stands.”
Collie struggled to put into words what an NCAA tournament berth would mean considering that the Raiders have not accomplished that since 2007.
“It would be out of this world,” Collie said. “There is no better way to go off as a senior than to be in the NCAA tournament. It would not only be a big deal for this team, but the whole community.”
Wright State opens the Horizon League Tournament in Detroit on Saturday, Mar. 5. Whatever Collie’s role is this weekend, he will be a pulse of his team.
