By Michael Letendre
Bristol Eastern guard/forward/All-Everything Ciara Collins was recently selected to the 2021 GameTimeCT/New Haven Register’s All-State Girls Basketball team.
Just finishing up her third season of varsity action for the Lancers, Collins was one of only four juniors selected on the 12-girl All-State Team.
Surprisingly, ten of the 12 picks on the list were guards with Sheehan’s Cait Hunt and Wilbur Cross’s Jaylice Rosario the only forward/center to earn a spot on the list.
Collins certainly deserved recognition for her play this past season as the ultra-talented junior somehow missed out on a CHSCA All-State nod.
As strange as that omission was, making the GameTimeCT/New Haven Register’s All-State Girls Basketball team is truly a harder honor to accomplish.
But Collins checked off every box for the squad at Eastern this season, helping her team to a 10-4 record which included a tie for the top spot in the CCC, Region B standings.
Collins is a slick guard/forward combo who can play positions 1-4 on the hardwood.
Overall, the scholastic veteran averaged 23.3 ppg, 8.6 rebounds, 1.5 blocks-per-game over 14 games this year – all team-leading totals.
Collins also averaged 3.9 assists-per-game and nabbed 2.1 steals as both totals were the second best numbers on the team.
And that didn’t include the out-of-this-world shooting percentages she put together.
The three-sport competitor nearly carried a 50/40/90 (50-percent shooting from the field, 40-percent from the three-point line, and 90-percent at the charity stripe).
Collins just missed out on those eye-popping totals, but her final percentages were outstanding none-the-less.
She shot over 49-percent from field, 38-percent from 3, and 87-percent from free throw line as all three percentages were team-leading numbers at Eastern.
Overall, Collins is a career 84-percent shooter from the free throw line at Eastern.
In terms of her team-leading scoring exploits, Collins led the team in scoring over all 14 games she played in this year and has been the top-point scorer for the Lancers over the program’s past 15 games.
And then there’s the historical point totals that she’s putting together.
Collins scored her 1,000th point in CCC Tournament at Newington and then added 33 more before the completion of the postseason.
With 1,033 points overall, Ciara will be looking to break the school record next season – currently held by Kathy Ferrier (1,563 points).
Some of her accolades includes three CCC South All-Conference awards, team MVP last year, and was named to the Danbury Times All-Tournament team in December of 2019.
She’s also a two-time CCC South All-Conference selection in soccer and in 2019, Collins nabbed All- Conference recognition in girls lacrosse.
And there’s the student part of that equation that’s equally as impressive.
Collins earned Academic All-Conference twice and is the top-10 percent of her class at Eastern.
While she’s still undecided on choice of school, Collins will play basketball collegiately and several NCAA Division II schools are in the middle of trying to recruit the outstanding athlete.
Here is the complete list of the 2021 GameTimeCT/New Haven Register’s All-State Girls Basketball team:
Name School Position Year
Amani Abuhatab West Haven Guard Soph.
Cassi Barbato Trumbull Guard Senior
Ciara Collins Bristol Eastern G/F Junior
Lilly Ferguson Newington Guard Senior
Katie Flynn Ridgefield Guard Senior
Cait Hunt Sheehan Center Senior
Aizhanique Mayo Notre Dame-F Guard Junior
Tyah Pettaway Middletown Guard Junior
Jaylice Rosario Wilbur Cross Forward Soph.
MacKenzie Sirowich Seymour Guard Senior
Jenissa Varela NFA Guard Senior
*Shailyn Pinkney East Hartford Guard Junior
*Pinkney was also named Player of the Year
