South Florida junior point guard Anthony Collins was granted a medical hardship wavier from the NCAA on Tuesday evening, the program announced via Twitter.
Collins, the Bulls starting point guard, was limited to only eight games during the 2013-2014 season due to swelling in his left knee. The 6-foot-1 floor general averaged 6.9 points, 5.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game in his shortened season.
“I’m 100 percent and I feel great and I can’t wait to get back on the court,” Collins said in an interview with USF play-by-play announcer Jim Louk last month.
Collins, who was a member of the NCAA tournament team in 2012, graduated this spring and elected to stay at USF rather than gain immediate eligibility at another school. The Bulls were 6-2 in non-conference play with Collins in the lineup. USF stumbled to a last-place finish in the American Athletic Conference with a 12-20 (3-15 AAC) record. In the offseason, Orlando Antigua replaced Stan Heath as head coach.
The return of Collins is a boost for the first-year head coach who saw a handful of players depart the program this offseason, including guards JaVontae Hawkins and Josh Heath, Stan’s son.
As a sophomore, Collins averaged 8.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. Last season, he was an AAC preseason second team pick.