When Kyle Collinsworth recorded his fourth triple double of the season last night the ESPN commentators spoke repeatedly about the rarity of the feat. Today dozens of newspaper and online articles have mentioned KC’s amazing achievement and most list the four other players who have completed this remarkable feat. But no one has talked about what became of those other players so we will do that here.
College basketball players who have recorded four triple doubles in a single season:
- Brian Shaw (1987-88)
- Jason Kidd (1993-94)
- Stephane Lasme (2006-07)
- Kyle Collinsworth (2014-15)
Michael Anderson (1985-86). Michael was a sophomore at Drexel University when he racked up four triple doubles. A four year starter at Drexel he led averaged over 19 point per game for his career and led the Dragons to their first ever appearance in the big dance. As a senior he was named to the UPI and Sporting News honorable mention All-America teams. He was the first Drexel basketball player to play in the NBA, being drafted by the Indiana Pacers with the 23rd pick (3rd round) in the 1988 draft. He played one season for the San Antonio Spurs and then enjoyed a long career playing basketball professionally overseas in Spain, Turkey, and Croatia. In total he played basketball 13 years playing basketball professionally.
Brian Shaw (1987-88). Brian Shaw played for fellow WCC member Saint Mary’s before transferring to UC Santa Barbara for his final two collegiate seasons. It was as a senior at UCSB, however, where he recorded his four triple doubles. As a senior he was named Pacific Coast Athletic Association player of the year leading his Gauchos to their first ever appearance in the Big Dance (theme developing here?). He was drafted in the first round (24th pick) by the Boston Celtics. An NBA journeyman he played fifteen years for seven different teams. In his NBA career he averaged 7.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. After his playing career he became an assistant coach for the Lakers and is presently an assistant for the Denver Nuggets.
Jason Kidd (1993-94). Jason Kidd played college basketball for California University and recorded his four triple doubles during his sophomore (and final) year at Cal. As a sophomore he averaged 16.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.1 steals, and 9.1 assists and was selected as a first team All-American and was a finalist for the Naismith and Wooden Awards. The Bears were a #5 seed in the NCAA tournament that season. He was drafted second overall in the 1994 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks. He played for four different NBA clubs and was a co-Rookie of the year, a 10x All-Star, 5x All-NBA first teamer, 4x NBA All-Defensive first teamer, and the 2007 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year. In his NBA career he averaged 12.6 points, 8.7 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game. He is currently the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Stephane Lasme (2006-07). Yann Ulrich Stephane Lasme (from Gabon, Africa) played collegiate hoops for the University of Massachusetts. He collected his four triple doubles during his senior season. That season he as named an AP Honorable mention All-American, the Atlantic 10 player of the year and Defensive Player of the year. He averaged 13.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 5.1 blocks as a senior and was the only player on this list to accomplish his triple doubles with blocks instead of assists. He led the minutemen to the NIT tournament, their first post-season tournament in nearly a decade. He was drafted in the second round of the 2007 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors (46th overall) and after a short NBA career has played for the last seven years for various clubs overseas in Serbia, Israel, Russia, Spain, Greece, and Turkey as well as two stinks in the NBA’s development league. He is currently playing for Anadolu Efes in Turkey.
Kyle Collinsworth (2014-15). Kyle is enjoying a very successful Junior season after his Sophomore season was cut short with ACL surgery. He may or may not return for his senior season at BYU, having responded to interviewers by saying he would consider making the jump early if he is projected as a first round pick.
What does the future have in store for Collinsworth?
Judging by the four other players on this list it is safe to say Collinsworth has a bright career in basketball ahead of him. It should be noted that all four players preceding Kyle on this list were drafted into the NBA and each had professional playing careers of at least five years. They all played in the post-season following their 4x triple double seasons and were all THE stars of their respective teams. While Kyle is certainly a star he is not the only star for BYU this season which bodes well for their post-season chances. Kyle certainly has plenty of good reasons to be smiling.
