Local Sports: College Men — Errick McCollum glad he stayed at GC

Posted: 12/17/2009 at 10:52 pm

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GOSHEN -- If Errick McCollum II had grown a little larger a little sooner, he might've pursued football instead of basketball.

And if he had grown just a little more disenchanted than he did regarding the start of his collegiate experience, he might've wound up leaving Goshen College.

Instead, McCollum is today the leading scorer in the 56-year history of GC men's basketball, after passing 2006 graduate Eric Walsh's career mark Tuesday during an 82-63 home victory over Saint Xavier of Illinois.

"I was very close," McCollum said Wednesday of how much he considered transferring after Stan Daugherty -- the coach who had recruited him -- resigned at the end of McCollum's freshman year to become athletic director at Delta High School.

"I was discouraged that he was leaving," McCollum said of Daugherty, "and I was offered a couple full rides at (NCAA) D2s, but my parents told me to stick it out, give the new guy (Gary Chupp) a chance, and as it turned out, he's a great guy also. I'm glad I did, because it's been a great experience."

McCollum, a three-time NAIA honorable mention All-American, says the clincher in staying was the presence of teammate and close friend Nate West Jr.

"We've known each other since second grade," McCollum said, "and having somebody from home made a big difference for me."

Home is Canton, Ohio, better recognized as the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a place where football rules.

"Never played football, but if I would've been this big back then, I would've played," said McCollum, a dynamic 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard. "I was small, like 5-5 as a (high school) freshman, 5-8 as a sophomore. My senior year, I was still only 5-11, and about a buck-35 (135 pounds)."

His scoring totals have continued to swell much like his size.

With at least 18 games potentially remaining in his college career, McCollum has 2,279 points. At his current rate of 21.9 per game this season, he would wind up with close to 2,700. He owns two of the top three single-season totals in GC history and is on course to make it three of the top four.

"Coming in as a freshman, you never think about things like that," said McCollum, who has played in all 105 games during his college career, "but at the end of my sophomore year, people were telling me I was on pace to do it. I made it an individual goal, but it's also something I take in stride, because the most important thing is winning."

The Maple Leafs went 12-18 in McCollum's first season, 19-12 his second and 15-16 his junior year.

This season, they're 8-5 despite a schedule that has included six ranked opponents -- they're 3-3 in those games -- and McCollum says it's the best GC team in his time at the school.

"I'm blessed to have this record, because my teammates have done a great job during my career getting me the ball in the right situations to score," said McCollum, whose senior-season average is actually down from the 23.6 and 22.8 of his sophomore and junior seasons. He cites a strong supporting cast for the drop.

McCollum also cites his parents as his staunchest supporters. Though they live about five hours away in Canton, they've each attended about a dozen games a year during his college career.

They've managed to keep up that pace this season despite also attending some games played by McCollum's brother, C.J., a standout freshman guard for NCAA DI Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.

Tuesday's GC game -- in which McCollum needed 23 points to set the record and finished with 24 -- couldn't have worked out much better in the family timing department.

McCollum's mom, Kathy Andrews, made the trip on her birthday.

"I asked her what she wanted for her birthday and Christmas, and she told me, 'Just break the record,'" McCollum said, "but she also told me not to stress about it, and if I didn't get it, it would be OK."

McCollum said he wanted to set the record Tuesday because it was a home game. The Leafs are on the road tonight at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The record-breaker came in front of a crowd of about 1,200, despite the fact that most students had already left town after taking final exams last week.

Exams went well enough for McCollum. The business major, who has over 90 percent of his college costs covered through basketball-related aid and other grants, says he completed this semester with two A-minuses, an A and a B.

Also an avid cook and basketball spectator, McCollum says after college he would like to pursue a pro playing career overseas.

"If that doesn't work out, maybe do something in business," McCollum said, "or maybe go back to school, get my master's degree and start out as a grad assistant coach."

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BY THE NUMBERS

TOP SCORERS IN GC MEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY

(With Senior Season Listed)

Errick McCollum (2009-10) 2,279

Eric Walsh (2005-06) 2,277

Roger Prough (1997-98) 1,900

Kelly Shepherd (1995-96) 1,582

Jeremy High (2003-04) 1,560

MCCOLLUM'S STATISTICS

Freshman: 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals per game.

Sophomore: 23.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.7 steals.