From SWOSU Sports
Doug Self, Sports Information Director
WEATHERFORD – Two-time All-Great American Conference selection Martell Collins will continue his basketball playing career in Germany after signing a one-year contract with the Rendsburg Twisters of the German Regionalliga league on Wednesday.
“Today I feel very thankful and blessed beyond measure,” Collins said after signing his first pro contract. “It’s been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember and this is proof that dreams do come true if you put in the hard work.”
Collins led SWOSU in scoring in each of his two seasons and he was the Bulldogs leading rebounder during his junior season. He leaves Weatherford as SWOSU’s third-leading scorer (949 points) and second-leading rebounder (408 rebounds) of the NCAA Division II era. Collins was a Second Team All-GAC selection as a junior and he earned First Team All-GAC honors this past season while also claiming two GAC Player of the Week awards in his career.
“SWOSU has helped me grow as a man on and off the court,” Collins said. “I want to thank my coaching staff, Coach (Bob) Battisti, Coach (Kris) Johnson and Coach (Andrew) Hudiburg for holding me responsible for my actions and helping me grow into the man I am today. I am proud to call them my family.”
Since the conclusion of his senior season, Collins said he has been in touch with professional teams and he made his decision to sign with Rendsburg after a conversation with the team’s head coach, Bjarne Homfeldt. He will spend the rest of the summer in Weatherford before departing for Germany at the end of August to join the Twisters, who finished with a 9-16 record last season.
“Martell is a good kid who has grown and matured in such a positive way,” Battisti said. “He has always kept the door open and allowed us to challenge him and we have really enjoyed the opportunity to coach him here at SWOSU.”
Collins becomes the second SWOSU Basketball player to ink a professional contract since Bob Battisti became the Bulldogs head coach, joining Rod Camphor, who earlier this summer signed to join KTE-Duna Aszfalt of Hungary for his third professional season.