With one notable exception, never have I seen a Virginia Tech player struggle to shoot the basketball as much as MJ Collins did at the beginning of the season. And never have I seen a Tech player make as much in-season improvement as Collins has done in recent weeks. He’s practically a different player than he was back in November, and I’m not just talking about his shooting. His entire game has improved on the offensive end.

Collins couldn’t shoot a lick to start the season. In case you don’t recall, check out the following table for a look at his shooting numbers from the first seven games. I’ve also included his assist totals.

Opponent	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	Assists
Coppin State	1	8	12.5%	1	5	20%	2
South Carolina	1	3	33.3%	0	0	N/A	2
Campbell	2	10	20%	0	3	0%	4
Wofford	2	5	40%	0	0	N/A	3
Boise State	0	3	0%	0	1	0%	0
Iowa State	1	8	12.5%	0	3	0%	3
Florida Atlantic	1	6	16.7%	0	1	0%	0
Totals	8	43	18.6%	1	13	7.7%	14

That 18.6 percent? Yes, it is apparently possible for an ACC basketball player to shoot below 20 percent for an extended period of time. What’s more, he wasn’t a threat behind the 3-point line, making just one of 13 shots in those first seven games, and thanks to that early scouting report, Virginia Tech had to face opposing defenses who were perfectly willing to sag off Collins and leave him wide open beyond the arc, and he was unable to make them pay.

It reminded me of Dorian Finney-Smith, who famously missed 25 field goals in a row as a freshman back in 2011-12. That was the biggest struggle I’ve seen a Tech shooter have, but Collins is pretty close, and Collins’ issues lasted longer than Finney-Smith’s.

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