Errick McCollum, Denver Nugget Summer League Player
By Len Nunes
Errick McCollum joins the Denver Nuggets for the upcoming Las Vegas Summer League. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Born January 22, 1988, Errick McCollum joins the Denver Nugget Las Vegas Summer League team as the 2nd oldest player. McCollum went undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft. McCollum’s former college, Goshen College, published a great article in late 2012 publicizing his successes:
"Errick McCollum II holds the single season and career scoring records in basketball at Goshen College. In the spring of his senior year in 2010, as a 6’1” guard, he executed a soaring dunk that became an ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 play.(2011-12) he played professionally in Israel, where he topped the league in scoring, averaging 24.3 points per game and scoring a high of 40 points in one game.At Goshen College, he excelled, as a senior becoming the first Maple Leaf to be named conference player of the year. He averaged 25.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3 assists per contest and was named a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) First Team All American."
The past two seasons, Errick McCollum has played for two different Greek teams. Last season, McCollum led Panionios in scoring averaging 18.49 points per game. McCollum also led the Eurocup in scoring averaging 20.19 points per game.
Josh Weir of CantonRep.com recently wrote a great article about Errick McCollum’s fight to finally make a summer league roster:
"Overlooked and underestimated much of his basketball career, Errick McCollum has made it downright impossible to ignore him any longer…McCollum is a rarity: a high-level player in his mid-20s who basically is an unknown to NBA scouts.Greece was where McCollum was allowed to play point guard, something he feels was crucial to his NBA chances."
"The NBA and many of the top international teams aren’t interested in 6-2 wing players. So McCollum felt he had to show teams he could play the point. That continues to be a goal this summer as he showcases himself."
"“I think teams know what I’m capable of scoring-wise,” he said. “… I have multiple scoring titles in my career overseas. So I have to go there and show them other things."
"“I’ll still be myself and be what got me there. But I think it’s an opportunity for them to see that I can defend and that I can create and set up the offense."
"“If I’m fortunate enough to make the NBA, my role wouldn’t be scoring 20 points a game. I’d be a role player, a piece that fits into the puzzle.”"
So while Errick McCollum may be one of the oldest Nuggets playing in Las Vegas, this is McCollum’s first true opportunity to make a NBA roster. If McCollum can show some upside on the defensive end, I can foresee a team bringing him to training camp this fall. I don’t think there is room on the Nuggets roster with Erick Green and Gary Harris already pencilled in ahead of him, but here’s hoping he makes decisions that much tougher for Denver Nugget management.