News & Features

College Commitment
Countdown: Collins to the Terps
by Sonny Dearth, 19 March 2009
Special from the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press, HRVarsity.com

He plays the piano. He plays the tenor sax.

And he plays tennis well enough to be a key recruit for the University of Maryland in one of the nation's toughest conferences.

John Collins, a left-hander from Bowie, Md., is one of three in-state players who are scheduled to arrive at Maryland in the fall. Terrapins coach Jim Laitta hopes they capably can replace a trio of current senior starters.

Collins, a five-star recruit, is ranked 34th nationally in the Class of 2009, third in the Mid-Atlantic Section and first in his state by TennisRecruiting.net. He said he chose Maryland over Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina State and Big Ten member Penn State.

It's less than a 30-minute drive from Bowie to College Park, so his parents and friends won't have to travel far to see him swing his Fischer racket while wearing a Terps uniform.

"It's close to home and it's a very good school," he said. "I felt most comfortable there."