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PROVO — BYU guard Kyle Collinsworth returned home from his LDS mission to Vladivostok, Russia in May. Tuesday was the first time the media had a chance to talk with Collinsworth since his return.
Besides the normal adjustments that missionaries have to make when they get home, Collinsworth is adjusting to basketball life, too. Kyle said that during his two years in Russia, he never picked up a basketball. He said he figured that playing basketball five or ten times wasn't going to make a big difference, so he decided not to do it at all and focus on the things he needed to do in Russia.
Just like we saw last year with Tyler Haws, Collinsworth has taken a more patient approach to getting back in basketball shape. So far, he thinks it's working.
I've actually made a lot of progress," he said. "I'm really surprised with my progress so far, and the key is no setbacks; I've got to listen to my body. The hardest part about the whole deal is patience, because sometimes I think I'm ready to play a game right now, but I'm not. I have to, just really be patient in the whole process."
When asked if he could play a game tomorrow if he had to, Kyle said, "Mentally I could, (physically) I don't know. I'm sure if I had to I could."
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Change is a very common thing is collegiate athletics. BYU has gone through quite a bit of change since Collinsworth left the program after the 2011 season.
The only current Cougars that were on the team in 2011 were Anson Winder and Matt Carlino, and both were redshirting. That means Collinsworth returns to the program having never played actual games with his new teammates. Despite all the changes, Kyle has high hopes for this BYU team.
"Our team is really athletic," Collinsworth said. "I'd even go as far as saying this might be the most athletic team BYU has ever had. Our guard line is very deep and athletic, and Eric Mika — I've never seen a big guy play like him who can run and jump like he can."
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"I want to play with the ball in my hands," Kyle said, when asked what position he would like to play this season.
As a versatile player that can play multiple positions, one of the biggest question marks for this upcoming season is where Coach Dave Rose plans on playing Collinsworth.
When asked if his comments about having the basketball in his hands means that he wants to play point guard, Collinsworth replied, "So, whatever that means. I think for our team where we push a lot that it's really not going to matter; it's whoever gets the rebound — me, Ty (Haws), Matt (Carlino), we're gonna go. The key is I just want to have the ball in my hands. This year we're doing a lot of pick-and-roll stuff, so I think that will be very possible."
Before people read too much into Collinsworth's comments about wanting the ball in his hands, he did say that he and Carlino were playing pick-up ball Monday and were on the same team. How did they do? "We won four-straight games," he said. "No problem."
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Besides being the "Year of Jimmer," the 2010-11 basketball season was an opportunity for Kyle and his older brother Chris to play together. Unfortunately, injuries to Chris prevented him from playing the entire year and limited his season to just nine games.
Chris' injury situation has been well-chronicled and it unfortunately resulted in him hanging up his basketball shoes last year and moving on. Kyle said that news was very difficult to receive while in Russia.
"I found out through an email. Obviously, it was pretty hard for me," he said. "My brother's the type of kid that (playing basketball) doesn't matter. He always says that the round ball goes flat for everybody; it's just a matter of when. He's got his head on straight and he's gonna do great in life no matter what he's doing. He's very positive; he's taught me to be positive always."
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Collinsworth served his mission in Vladivostok, Russia, which is on the eastern side of the country near North Korea. When asked what the weather was like, Collinsworth replied with a smile, "Freezing."
One other interesting fact about the Vladivostok, Russia mission is that it is the largest mission geographically in the LDS Church.
To put it into perspective, Collinsworth said that from Vladivostok to the furthest point in the mission, it would take a six-hour flight and an eight-hour train ride to get there.
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