Panthers land six-foot guard Chloe Collin for 2024 season

By Thomas Becker

In sports, stories of late bloomers turning heads are rare finds. Chloe Collin is one of those rare finds—an athlete who has moved from the dance floor to the basketball court, culminating in her commitment to the UPEI Women's Basketball Panthers for the 2024 season.

It all started in Grade 6 when Collin, a passionate dancer at the time, received life-changing advice from a perceptive teacher. "Your height could be used for more than just dance," the teacher said, unknowingly setting a chain of events that would alter Collin's destiny.

Over the next two years, Collin, the quick learner she is, studied the game of basketball as a member of the Mississauga Monarchs before joining the Brampton Warrior family, where she harnessed her raw talent.

By 2019, Collin became a name that resonated across the basketball community. She represented the Warriors in the JUEL League and quickly established herself as a star. In 2022, the Brampton, ON, native was named a JUEL Prep all-star and a year later was a JUEL all-star.

The basketball fiend enjoyed the game so much that she decided to play in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA) with Caledon Prep as well, solidifying her status as a player to watch. Collin's talents propelled her to the national stage, earning her coveted spots in the Biosteel Futures Game in 2022 and the Biosteel Next Ones Up in 2023.

Right now, she's playing for Orangeville Prep and absorbing as much basketball knowledge as she can in her final year as she prepares for the demands of collegiate basketball and life as a student-athlete.

Collin brings a unique skill set to the Panthers as a six-footer who plays like a guard and can defend multiple positions—an attribute head coach Matt Gamblin likes in his players.

"More and more in basketball, being a "tweener" in terms of position is increasingly a positive thing," Gamblin said. "Chloe can put the ball on the floor, has good shooting range, and will be able to guard multiple positions for us."

So far this season, the 17-year-old is averaging 12.0 points on 36.8 per cent from the three-point range, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.

"I'm a lengthy, versatile player who uses my speed to my advantage. I enjoy getting to the rim and finishing in various ways, but I can also stretch the floor with the three-point shot."

Collin says she's excited to join UPEI and hopes to make an immediate impact.

"When I visited the team, they were inclusive and showed me what a day in the life of a student-athlete looked like, and I was hooked right away," she said. "I'm looking forward to this journey and can't wait to represent UPEI in the AUS and U SPORTS."