Arizona State point guard Frankie Collins inching closer to major school record

Frankie Collins is "annoying," according to his Arizona State teammate Jose Perez.

As guards, Collins and Perez often end up defending each other. So Perez knows what its like to be challenged by an elite defender, one who is on the brink of making history.

Collins has thrived in his two years as starting point guard at ASU. He's closing in on a school record that has lasted more than 40 years. The 6-foot-1 defensive dynamo has 69 steals, putting him just seven away from the Sun Devils single-season record of 76 set by Lafayette "Fat" Lever in 1981-82. Barring injury, Collins may obliterate that record since the Sun Devils have eight regular season games, plus however many they get in the Pac-12 tournament next month in Las Vegas.

His next chance to inch closer to the record comes on Saturday when ASU (11-12, 5-7) checks in for a 6 p.m. showdown against Utah (15-8, 6-6) at the Hunstman Center.

Just how big is breaking the record?

Well, there are 16 individual Sun Devil season record categories and only two have stood longer — Tony Cerkvenik’s 415 rebounds in 1961 and Mark Landsberger’s 14.4 rebounds per game in 1977.

Collins has always been a tenacious defender. That goes back to his AAU and his high school careers.

"It means a lot," said Collins, who ranks second in the country in steals. "My whole life I've been playing defense. I take a lot of pride in defense, off the ball, on the ball, steals. Just all-around defense. I'm active. Just to see it improving on the floor is real exciting. There was a point in time I was playing AAU I would literally be on the floor just for my defense."

Not only is Collins close to eclipsing the long-standing ASU mark, he has shot at historic territory in the soon-to-be extinct Pac-12. Only three players in conference history have managed 100 steals in a season — Matisse Thybulle (126, Washington, 2018-2019 and 101 in 2017-2018), Jason Kidd (110, California 1992-1993) and Gary Payton (100, Oregon State, 1989-1990). Collins was on pace to finish right at 100 but with one steal in the last two games he has fallen off that a bit.

Lever, a native of Tucson, now lives in Chandler. He does some radio and television work for the Denver Nuggets, a franchise for whom he played for in six of his 11 seasons in the NBA. He works with the local chapter of the National Basketball Retired Players Association.

Lever says he has been able to keep with the program he played from 1978 to 1982, though he hadn't given much thought to his record still existing. He starting monitoring it in 2000 when Eddie House got close to the mark only to finish with 74. In recent weeks he has thought more about it as news of Collins' pursuit has spread. Lever has watched Collins play and likes what he has seen.

"That young man is a great athlete," Lever said. "I couldn't keep up with him, not even close. He'd run circles around me. I liked Remy Martin a lot and (Collins) reminds of him a little bit in the way he wants to defend."

Collins has recorded five or more steals in five games with a best of eight coming in a nonconference win over UMass-Lowell. That equaled the school's single game best that had been recorded by four different players, the most recent being Stevin Smith in 1993.

Collins had 46 steals last season. He is on pace to double that total. Collins says he focused on nutrition during the offseason, cutting out sugars and breads and adding more wheat. He eliminated unhealthy snacks.

That set him up for his junior season in which he is averaging 13.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3 steals. The steals number also ranks him third nationally.

"It has a lot to do with my body, nutrition, just my mindset coming into the season. I'm in a lot better shape. My conditioning is better. I think the better diet and improving my body has helped me play harder and last longer on the floor," he said.

Collins said he also watches a lot of film of his opponents, looking to pick up on their tendencies and credits assistant coach Jermaine Kimbrough for helping him in that regard. Kimbrough has been head coach Bobby Hurley's righthand man when it comes to defense.

Hurley says Collins is one of the best defenders he has ever coached.

"He's right there with a kid I had at Buffalo Jarod Oldham and then you're talking Lu Dort was pretty good but he was a little bigger, a little bit more off the ball like the bigger wing guards but he (Collins) is in that category. He just wants to defend and he takes it personal. He's got great athleticism and instincts and to have that combination is pretty good."

Collins is using the record pursuit as a way to give back to the community. He is donating $20 for every steal he gets to an elementary school in his native Sacramento, California, and has two others who have vowed to match whatever he contributes.

"I always wanted to give back when I had the chance," Collins said. "I'm pretty excited because I think it will be a pretty good donation."

Lever travels frequently, so he isn't sure if he'll have the chance to be on hand when Collins breaks his record. Still, it might not take much to get him to attend.

"If they let me jump out of the curtain of distraction with the ball I can hand to him," he laughed.

Most Sun Devil steals in a season

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Frankie Collins nearing ASU steals record held by Fat Lever