Foxboro basketball star says she got competitive edge from "Survivor" alum parents
FOXBORO - Foxboro High School girls basketball star Cam Collins said she gets her competitive edge from her parents who both appeared on "Survivor."
Collins said when she was a child, she was inspired watching Foxboro's girls basketball team play.
"We all would go and see Foxboro play as kids and they were a really successful program always," said Collins. "These are people that you see and you kind of think of them...my fourth grade self thought they were celebrities."
"She would talk about how during the national anthem, they would stand together and tap their toes down the line during the national anthem. She was picking up on every little thing they did, every tradition. And she wanted to be part of that," said Val Collins, Collins' mother.
Little did she know back then, she'd soon be on her way to becoming one of the school's most prolific scorers of all time after watching her older sister raise banners with the Warriors.
"Kind of jumping on that culture, jumping on that work hard and that Warrior spirit. It's history pretty much," said Collins.
Competitiveness runs in the family
Adopting the "Warrior spirit" came natural to Collins. In fact, she felt right at home with that winning culture. Her father is a Cambridge firefighter, her mother a Foxboro police officer.
"The house is competitive with everything, it starts with us," said Collins' father, Jeremy Collins.
You may recognize both from the show "Survivor." They competed together once and Jeremy Collins went on to win in Cambodia. He said it taught his kids a valuable lesson in the process.
"For Survivor, I wanted it for 10 years. And every year they would call me and deny me. So I would train for Survivor as if I was going to be playing every year," said Jeremy Collins. "So we kind of instill in our kids that you don't know what the future holds but you always have to be ready."
Ready to lead
When the time came for Collins to lead Foxboro, she was ready. She became a two-time league MVP, putting up north of 1,000 points over the course of her high school career.
"This year was a big year that she had to look at things different," said Val Collins. "She knew that there was a lot on the team's back. She had to play some different roles and seeing that growth with her and her basketball IQ really evolved was awesome."
This month, she willed the Warriors to their second straight state championship.
"She touched my heart this season, she crushed it. I don't even want to get emotional but she really showed me her drive," said Jeremy Collins.
"To be able to be part of that program, add to that success, add to the banners, it's an honor," said Collins.
While her senior season's in the books, Collins is now preparing for a new chapter in her basketball life. This fall, she'll be leaving home to play Division I basketball for Rider University in New Jersey.
"I'm taking a lot of Foxboro with me. The community, the culture is what I was looking for for my college pick," said Collins.