ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — In junior guard Jadin Collins-Robert’s three years at Marist, anyone who has ever watched him play echoes the same sentiment.
“He shows up in ways that can’t be seen in the box score.”
In Marist’s MAAC Quarterfinal win over Quinnipiac, he stuffed the stat sheet, scoring 19, assisting on four and grabbing 11 boards, three being offensive.
But, as always, he came through in a way that could not be quantified by a box score.
Justin Menard got fouled with under two minutes remaining, while the Red Foxes led 70-67. The sophomore guard had 23 points to that point, but in the break in action, head coach John Dunne drew up a play for Collins-Roberts.
“No, I want to run something for Justin,” Collins-Roberts said he told Dunne.
And that they did. Menard nailed a second contested 3-pointer on as many possessions, pushing Marist’s lead to six.
“I’m gonna tell them that I called that play,” Dunne joked with Collins-Roberts as he walked back to Marist’s locker room.
Though Menard was the star of the game, Dunne was well within his rights to call a play for his captain, the first he ever named in his eight years at Marist. Collins-Roberts then had 16 points and dictated play with high energy on the offensive and defensive ends.
Quinnipiac threatened to run away with the game after taking an eight-point lead at the beginning of the first half, but Collins-Roberts capped an early comeback with a game-tying 3-pointer — in his career as a Red Fox, he had shot a measly 20.2% from downtown.
On the ensuing possession, the 6-foot-1 guard skied past two Bobcat defenders in transition for a vicious dunk.
Collins-Roberts finished the first half with 10 points, a mark he rarely eclipses in full games. He followed it up with nine points in the second half and had his fingerprints all over the dramatic ending.
He meticulously worked his way past two Quinnipiac defenders to give Marist a lead with under three minutes left, then ripped a steal while the Red Foxes held a five-point advantage in the final minute.
But, Collins-Roberts faltered; he missed the front-end of a potentially game-sealing one-and-one, then fouled sophomore forward Grant Randall as he sunk a 3-pointer — Randall completed the 4-point-play at the line.
Collins-Roberts redeemed himself, calmly converting two free throws to stop the bleeding after the Bobcats intentionally fouled him. The fearless, undersized guard grabbed a gutsy 11 rebounds, too, his third straight outing in double figures on the glass.
For a guy who rarely scores in double figures, Collins-Roberts is a true playoff riser. In four career MAAC Tournament games, he has averaged 15.75 points per game. In every game of his career away from Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall? 7.5 points per game.
Dunne would be hard-pressed to ask for anything more out of his leader.
“He’s one of the most important guys in our program,” said Dunne. “He’s a leader by example… he’s just selfless.”
Edited by Max Rosen
Photo by Quinn DiFiore
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