Charli Collier - The Innocent
BASKETBALL - CENTER - UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
WNBA - DALLAS WINGS
ARCHETYPE: THE INNOCENT
Day 48/135
Athletic Accomplishments
With the first pick of the 2021 WNBA draft, the Dallas Wings took Charli Collier. A 6’5” center from the University of Texas who decided to forgo her senior season and head to the pros.
Collier’s game is no joke. She has the size, skill, athleticism, physicality, and strength. But what has always set Collier apart is her motor. She moves fluidly, with the energy and fitness of a guard, with the body of a stretch 4 or 5. It’s a rare and unstoppable combination.
In 2021, Collier averaged a double-double with impressive numbers: 19 points / 11 rebounds per game. She was a two-time first team All Big 12 Conference selection in 2020 and 2021. And she’s still getting better every time she steps on the court.
Collier spent most of her career in the paint, posting up, earning put-backs, free throws, and and-1s while being a shut down defender. You don’t want to come to Charli’s house. But in the past two years at Texas, Collier has been expanding her range, building out that shot chart, which makes her even more of a threat once she hits the WNBA.
Character Archetype: The Innocent
In high school, Charli Collier already had all of the tangibles: height, size, skills, a motor. But at age 16, her father Elliott died of cancer. After losing her dad, Collier focused on basketball, where she became one of the most highly touted recruits in the country, who at one point committed to UConn before realizing she wasn’t ready to leave her home state of Texas. After losing her dad, she wanted to stay close to her mom and brother.
At Texas, Collier established herself as one of the best players in the nation. She stayed focused on achieving the dream that her family shared for her: being the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft. Last week, she achieved that dream.
It’s a sad origin story, sure, but Collier is writing her next chapter. And she’s still got home court advantage. Before college, Collier was not ready to leave Texas. And now, playing for the Dallas Wings, she won’t have to.