Nicole Collins is having a moment.
The longtime Cedar Hill head girls basketball coach won her 300th career game and led the Lady Longhorns to their 10th consecutive Regional Quarterfinal appearance.
Collins’ success continued when she was selected to be the only high school coach, among a trio of college coaches, to staff a USA Basketball Mini-Camp for eighth through 11th graders, last weekend in Portland, Oregon.
“I never dreamt about it, but I asked myself ‘why not?’” Collins said. “What greater honor is there than to represent your country?”
Many of the players Collins coached are already verbally committed to major women’s basketball programs like NC State and Stanford.
“We worked with them on shooting drills, position work, and more,” Collins said.
Collins said she expects to continue working with USA Basketball, although she’s not sure in what capacity.
From June 30 to July 10, Collins will travel to Uganda to mentor athletes and coaches who aspire to be part of the Ugandan National Basketball Team.
The mission trip opportunity was presented to Collins by Trinity Church Pastor Becky Hennesy, the Dallas Wings WNBA Chaplain and a former CHHS Team Chaplain.
Former DeSoto and Cedar Hill head girls basketball coach Andrea Robinson will also be part of the trip.
“I expect it to be the experience of a lifetime, and a deep spiritual experience for me,” Collins said. “As a Black woman, seeing a portion of Africa was part of my bucket list.”
This will be Collins’ first time coaching overseas. After playing at Baylor University, she played for the Big 12 All-Stars, who competed against teams in Finland and Sweden.
Before finalizing the trip, Collins was part of a group that donated 350 basketball sneakers to basketball players in Uganda.
