David Collette turning heads at tourney

SANDY — In the fourth quarter of his team's victory over Hillcrest in the Big Mountain Jam on Thursday, Murray's David Collette caught a pass from teammate Riley Grandinetti in transition, took a step in traffic and dunked over a couple of defenders.

It was a play Collette couldn't have made back when he was considered just a skinny, tall player as a sophomore for the Spartans. He probably wouldn't have made it until midway through his junior year when he dunked in a game against Skyline — and his confidence soared.

Just like his confidence, Collette's stock has risen with college recruiters in the last few months. He has offers from Weber State and San Francisco, and schools such as Utah State, Boise State and BYU are interested in him, too.

Collette said he started making great strides as a player, and others began taking notice of him last summer. That's when he started playing AAU ball, in events such as the Big Mountain Jam.

"It's probably the biggest thing that helped out," Collette said. "People come watch and they notice you. It's good to come out here and work on your skills, show them what you can do."

Collette certainly hasn't disappointed there. He scored more than 40 points in Murray's first two games in the Big Mountain Jam. His dunk, off the pass from Grandinetti, has been one of the event's highlights. The pass that found Collette on his way to the basket wasn't too bad either.

"He's the one that gives me all my passes," Collette said of Grandinetti. "That's my boy."

Collette has gone from relative unknown to prized recruit in a short amount of time. The 6-foot-8 post player has put on 30 pounds since averaging 5.4 points as a sophomore. He averaged 17 points as a junior, capping his season with 21 points and 11 rebounds in a state tournament loss to Fremont.

Murray coach Jason Workman said the turning point in Collette's high school career was his dunk against Skyline — which was his first in varsity ball. He then dunked in nine of the Spartans' last 10 games.

"Because of his size and versatility, I think he might be the number one guy (in the Class of 2011) as far as schools wanting him," Workman said. "A lot of them are after him."