Newly signed 6-foot Purdue women's basketball shooting guard Ella Collier has returned to her Danville High School roots.
A two-time NAIA Player of the Year and four-time All-American at Marian University, she is working as a substitute teacher at her alma mater for her final season of college basketball.
Throughout her journey, Collier was reunited with her former coach Katie Geers and fulfilled her desire to compete. It was Geers who scouted Collier to Marian in 2020, where she later returned to Purdue, where she flourished as a player.
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“It's funny, every time I saw (Purdue) play, I remembered him making the exact same play on the court,” Collier said. We stayed in touch and in our fifth year, we accomplished everything we wanted to do at Marian and started a new chapter. ”
Collier's move to Purdue after playing four years at Marian is not just about basketball.
She comes from a family full of educators and loves her hometown. Collier's mother, Becky, teaches special education, and her sister, Taryn, works as a speech therapist at Danville College.
“The teacher shortage is tough, but teaching is a love from my mother and sister,” Collier said. “It was my goal to help Danville.”
Earning a master's degree in education from Purdue University will help Collier achieve her goal of teaching elementary school. And while education may be a major goal, the competitive fire is still present for Collier, who holds the career scoring record at Marian and Danville.
Discovery of genius scorer
Collier was discovered by coach Kaylee May as an 11-year-old player taking a knockdown shot on one of the side baskets while her older sister Addie was practicing with the varsity program.
May felt purity in Collier's appearance. Almost every shot went through the net. Collier showed a habitual follow-through with her wrist. She was eventually invited to the program's scrimmage.
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“She was a little timid because she was young, but all of us coaches knew what kind of athlete she was going to be,” May said. “It was like she had been hitting smooth, effortless clean shots all her life, and she wasn't afraid to go out there and compete.”
Collier was the leading scorer among boys and girls in Danville and Hendricks counties with 2,210 points while leading the program to its first IHSAA regional championship in 2017 and 2018. She ranked first in her 15 statistical categories at Danville College, and that stardom extended into her college career at Marian University as well.
Step up to the next level
Collier checked a lot during his college career, becoming one of the greatest scorers in NAIA history.
Statistically speaking, Collier's numbers were measurable efficiency for Caitlin Clark as well. The Marian University senior shot 53.5 percent overall, 40.3 percent from 3-point range and 96 percent from free throws. These are better than Clark (45.5% FG, 37.7% 3-point FG, 86%) in his final year at Iowa.
Of course, those measurables are invalid when comparing the competition Clark fought to the competition Collier faced.
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But that doesn't mean her current skills won't translate into something impactful at Purdue.
“Basketball is basketball, right? Is the hoop the same size?'' Collier said, “I've played with a lot of talented players, so the pace and physicality will be different, but that's what I'm looking forward to this summer.'' It's a thing,” he said. Get in the weight room, show what you can do on the court, work hard and prove yourself. ”
Collier brings senior leadership to a talented group of underclassmen.
The Purdue women's basketball locker room will be filled with new and familiar voices as the Boilermakers open the 2024-25 season.
An unexpected development occurred when 2024 Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year Mary Ashley Stevenson entered the transfer portal and chose to leave West Lafayette on April 25th. happened.
Although Purdue lost one of its leading scorers, the transfer portal welcomes a new senior lineup to join Collier in coaching sophomores LaShunda Jones, Sophia Swanson and McKenna Reiden, along with ESPN Top 50 point guard Red. Also added was freshman guard Amiyah Reynolds. Jordyn Poole, New Hampshire two-sport Gatorade player of the year Lana McCarthy, and 6-foot-3 freshman forward Kendall Puryear.
Collier joins WAC Defensive Player of the Year Destini Lombard from Stephen F. Austin, former Bradley University guard Marli Petry, and former MAC All-Conference honoree Regan Bass from Akron for an experienced transfer group. Joined the.
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Collier is looking forward to having a voice in his new team.
“It's going to be a transition period to gain trust, but I think we can accomplish that,” Collier said. “If we work together, we can make a difference.”
Collier will be part of a European tour program to Spain and Portugal, playing in exhibition games from August 6th to 15th.
“It's going to be a great opportunity and it's going to be interesting to see how I develop over the summer leading up to pre-season,” Collier said. “It also tells us where we are as a team.”