Collin Sawyer ‘20/MA ‘22 is getting ready to enter some rarified air in 2021.

Sawyer is poised to join the Judges for an unprecedented sixth season. Thanks to a broken hand that limited him to seven games as first-year and the extra year of eligibility granted to all NCAA students who lost a season to COVID-19, Sawyer will become the first Brandeis player ever to suit up for six years. 

But before his final season wearing the Blue and White, Sawyer will embark on an even greater adventure. He will spend two weeks as part of a traveling All-Star team put together by USA East Coast Basketball that will tour Europe under the guidance of Hall of Fame Coach Larry Brown. Sawyer will join a roster full of Ivy League standouts playing contests across Spain. 

Sawyer will be updating us on his progress throughout early August, first through a rigorous two-day training camp in New York City, and later as he takes his grand tour through Spain, with stops in Barcelona and Valencia. 

The opportunity arose through coach Bain, the former associate head coach at Columbia University, who has a relationship with USA East Coast organizer Guy Rancourt, the head coach at Western Connecticut State University.

“I think this will be a great opportunity for Collin,” said Bain. “He’ll be going up against a lot of great competition, and I think he’ll come back better.”

“Coach told me that some of his players from Columbia went on the trip, and it was one of the most unique experiences they’d ever had, so I jumped at the opportunity,” Sawyer said. “Being a Division III player on the court with a bunch of Division I guys will be really cool for me.”

Sawyer kept his game in shape by playing in a summer league in Massachusetts and shooting in Shapiro Gym when the opportunity arises. He’s also given a new form of exercise a shot.

“I’ve taken up swimming,”’ Sawyer said with a smile. “Trying to do some lower-impact cardio to take it easier on my body.”

Off the court, Sawyer and his teammates will get some time to go sightseeing in between practices - he’s heard that Brown is still on top of his game, challenging his players to improve, even at the age of 80 - but he’s especially looking forward to exploring the culinary delights of Spain. 

Sawyer expects his role with the team to be different from the one that earned him first-team All-University Athletic Association status in 2019, when he averaged 15.6 points per game, fourth-most in the league. Instead of being one of the top options, he plans on being a catch-and-shoot guard, spotting up and spacing the floor for some of his bigger teammates. 

“Collin has been such a loyal guy to the program,” Bain said. “He’s stuck with us for six years now… Being able to go on a trip like this, he’ll get a chance to experience a lot of different ideas and coaches after years of just seeing Brandeis. I think it will help his leadership skills a lot, and he will only get better and better. It will be like having a second coach on the floor.”