Q&A with incoming Purdue women's basketball transfer Ella Collier: "Playing at a Big Ten school is definitely crazy"
The two-time NAIA National Player of the Year and four-time All-American at Marian University is one of four transfers to join coach Katie Gearlds' program
The call from Katie Gearlds came on April 28.
The visit to Purdue was May 1, followed by a decision and a commitment that night.
The social media announcement was the next day.
That sums up Ella Collier’s transfer journey from Marian University to the Boilermakers. In less than five days, the two-time NAIA National Player of the Year and a four-time All-American went from probably returning for a fifth year with the Knights to joining a Big Ten program.
“She said come up and visit, and if you don’t like it, that’s fine, but at least give us a chance. I’m glad that I did,” Collier said.
The native of Danville, who became Marian’s all-time leading scorer, is one of four transfers (Destini Lombard, Mahri Petree, and Reagan Bass) ready to help push the program forward and erase the disappointment of last season’s losing record.
Collier was probably a popular target in the portal. But she wasn’t interested in leaving the state of Indiana, similar to the original recruiting process while in high school.
And to wrap up her week, Collier graduated from Marian on Saturday.
Along with setting the career scoring record at Marian, Collier is the only NAIA player to shoot 50% from the field, 40% from the 3-point line, and 90% from the line. She reached those marks in four consecutive seasons while playing in 136 games, including 133 starts.
More from Collier in this Q&A:
Did a lot of schools reach out before Purdue?
Coaches didn’t reach out personally; they did reach out to my coaches, whether my college coaches or my high school coaches, but a lot of them were out of state, and that’s not something I was interested in. I really wanted to stay in Indiana, close to home. I have a lot of family still in my hometown and I love to spend time with them. Leaving the state wasn’t an option for me.
Let’s go back to when Katie recruited you to come to Marian. I understand you had some other offers – like MAC schools. What convinced you to go to Marian at the NAIA level as opposed to a MAC school and an NCAA-type level?
I actually wasn’t recruited by Marian until I reached out to them personally. I decided after I received a majority of my offers, I don’t know if going to a school out of state is something I was interested in. I started doing some research on some schools in Indiana and I never had heard of Marian University. I did my research on their program and it’s obviously a winning program. Two national championships under coach G. Coach G played at Purdue, WNBA, and Miss Basketball. She had the perfect résumé. I reached out to them, and they said, ‘We’ll recruit you for sure.’ They were totally down to having me on campus, and I fell in love with the program, the girls, and all the coaches.
What were your other options?
Western Michigan. They were one of my top schools along with FIU (Florida International) and Richmond.
You’re an Indiana All-Star and put up good numbers at Danville, but for it to translate to two-time National Player of the Year, four-time All-American, and all the other awards, how did your career evolve?
Honestly, I accomplished a ton that I never dreamed of doing or never had a thought in my mind that I would be able to accomplish. Coming into college my freshman year, the coaching staff was amazing. They pushed me completely out of my comfort zone, broke me down, and told me exactly what I needed to do. I had amazing teammates that I looked up to and that pushed me to be the best.
Once they left, I was told, ‘You’re it. You’re going to be the player all the eyes are on. You have to perform, you have to lead, you have to be our go-to person.’ I’ve got to put in the work and make it happen. Just getting in the extra work over the summer and putting in new types of shots, working on ballhandling and working on how I can get my teammates open. That’s the biggest area that changed.
When you talked about Katie and the staff getting you outside of your comfort zone, what was your comfort zone and what things did you need to do outside of your comfort zone to push your game forward?
They knew the player I was capable of being and I guess you could say I didn’t know that at the time. I didn’t know what I was I was capable of, and being able to push me in conditioning and in the weight room to be up there at the top with the seniors or if not that, I’d better be the first one finishing sprints, the first one on the court, stuff like that. It was very uncomfortable as a freshman. You don’t want to be the leader – you’re new there. You don’t know what to expect. You don’t expect to be put in those positions as a freshman in college.
How much did that benefit you?
So much. I’ll never take it for granted. I always talk about it with teammates that I’ve had in previous years. After coach G left, it changed who I am as a person and my overall game.
As you approach the next chapter., you’re going from an NAIA school to a Big Ten program, similar to Katie in a way. How do you approach that knowing the competition is better, players are bigger, faster, and stronger, and how will you go about preparing yourself for what’s next?
I have no doubt the coaches at Purdue and the returning players at Purdue will help me along the way. That’s going to be a big part of my summer of adjusting. Basketball is basketball. The hoop is the same size. The court is the same size. I’m not nervous or questioning that aspect of it. It’s going to take work to get into the shape I need to get in to play at the Big Ten level as well as the strength. I know it will all fall into place and using this summer to play against my teammates and going on our trip to Spain and getting some exposure there will be beneficial.
What has Katie said about what she needs from you this season?
Her and I both know each other really well. Nothing has been verbally said but I believe I’m going to carry my game over to the next level, over to the next team. I don’t plan on changing how I play; if anything, advancing it and maintaining and making it better. I’m going to be here to shoot – I’m a shooter. I have also developed my game to where I can drive and create for others. Just making sure I utilize all aspects of my game, that’s what she’s looking for me to do.
What has allowed you to develop into a top shooter?
Long hours in the gym. I always had my mom rebound for me in high school every day. After school. After practices. On Saturdays, Sunday nights, and days before games. Just countless hours in the gym.
How did your quick release develop?
It started when I put in a pull-up jump shot. That’s part of my game I didn’t have until my junior year of high school. My coach and I worked on that part. You don’t see people use that very often. It’s a 3 or a layup; the midrange game isn’t a huge part of it anymore. Once I put in my pull-up jump shot, it was so slow and it was really not pretty at all. I kept practicing it, and it got faster and faster, and I think the way I shot my pull-up jump shot translated to my 3-pointer.
Being at the college level and people are running at you because you’re a shooter and you have to adjust, and you have a second – if that – to get your shot off.
This has happened pretty quickly. Has it sunk in or when will it sink in?
It’s been a thought on my mind because I’ve been thinking about it all year - am I going to take my fifth year? The part of playing basketball again has sunk in, but the fact that I’m playing at a Big Ten school is definitely crazy, and it won’t sink in until we officially start.
2024-25 ROSTER
Seniors: Jayla Smith, Destini Lombard, Mahri Petree, Reagan Bass, Ella Collier
Juniors: Mila Reynolds, Alania Harper
Sophomores: Rashunda Jones, McKenna Layden, Sophie Swanson
Freshmen: Amiyah Reynolds (redshirt), Jordyn Poole, Kendall Puryear, Lana McCarthy.
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