Junior guard Frankie Collins has made Sun Devil history with 77 steals this season, breaking Lafayette "Fat" Lever’s single-season steal record of 76.
Collins' name has consistently been at the top of leaderboards across the country for season average in steals and currently averages 2.85. He is fourth in the country, leading the Pac-12 as of tonight's game.
Collins didn't even cut it close with four games remaining in the regular season.
The record has been in place since the 1981-1982 season, and no one has come close to beating it since Eddie House was two steals away in the 1999-2000 season.
During this historic season for Collins, he also became the third Sun Devil men's basketball player to swipe the rock eight times in one game, which he did against UMass Lowell on Nov. 16.
As the record holder, Collins called it a "great individual accomplishment."
"I want to give thanks to everyone who supported me and give thanks to the man above my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," Collins said. "I'm blessed. But at the end of the day, it's about winning with this game, and it's a team sport. So I just wish we could have gotten the win."
After ASU came back from a 25-point deficit, the Sun Devils were in the position to complete one of the largest comebacks in the country this season. There were 2.4 seconds on the clock when ASU lobbed the ball up from an out-of-bounds play to sophomore center Shawn Phillips Jr. to send the game to double overtime, and his layup missed. The University of Washington won 84-82.
"There's a side of me that is furious, and then there's another side that has great admiration for what I saw," head coach Bobby Hurley said. "So I'm really torn right now about how to feel."
Not only does his stealing greatly impact Sun Devil men's basketball, but it will also impact an elementary school in his hometown of Sacramento, Calif.
About a month ago, Collins announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that for every steal he gets in the 2023-24 season, he will donate $20 to an elementary school in Sacramento.
Now, 27 games through the season, Collins has stolen the rock from an opponent 77 times, which equates to $1,540. ASU has four more regular season games, and according to Collins' average, he's on pace to get another 11.4 steals this season. Collins said he's never done anything like this before, and he's looking forward to it.
"It's just exciting because I know they can use the money," Collins said. "Being able to give back and look out for other people … it's just exciting."
To put that money into perspective, the elementary school Collins chooses could head over to Amazon and buy nearly 197 64-pack of Crayola crayons, which is around 12,600 crayons.
That kind of cash can do a lot for a school of any caliber.
With four games left, Pac-12 positioning is still in limbo, and the Sun Devils hope to build on tonight for the remainder of the year.
"This is a good turning point for us," Collins said. "I know we lost, but it's a good turning point for us to see how it looks when we play the right way. If we continue to do that, It'll help us win these last four games."
Edited by Alfred Smith III, Alysa Horton, Walker Smith and Shane Brennan
Reach the reporter at hjsmardo@gmail.com and follow @HenryJSmardo on X.
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