Rubin Collins


Rubin Collins Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. He played collegiately for the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks from 1971 to 1974. During his junior season in 1973–74, Collins led the Hawks in scoring when they won the MEAC Men's Basketball Tournament and became the first men's basketball team from a historically black college to receive an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament. He was named to the first-teams of the All-MEAC and All-NAIA in 1974.
At the conclusion of his junior season, Collins successfully applied for a hardship from the National Basketball Association to be eligible in the 1974 NBA draft. He was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers as the 38th overall pick but never played in the NBA. Collins played two seasons in the Continental Basketball Association for the Washington Metros, Baltimore Metros and the Mohawk Valley Thunderbirds from 1977 to 1979.
He has been inducted into the Maryland Eastern Shore Athletics Hall of Fame twice: as a member of the 1973–74 NIT team in 2004 and individually in 2010.