Watch CBS News

Augsburg's Star Forward Collects Points... And Basketball Cards

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Like most basketball players, Collin Olmscheid started out as a basketball fan.

"I was always big into knowing all the players in the NBA, knowing what teams they're on, who they play for, and so I'd get a pack of cards and I would just study 'em," Olmscheid said.

That turned into a really big hobby. Olmscheid now has a rather valuable trading card collection -- he couldn't show them to us because they're back home in Buffalo, Minnesota, locked away in a fireproof safe. And not just basketball cards.

"In my later years, I started getting into like old baseball cards, because they're kind of like the most valuable. So I'd find old Willie Mays cards, and Mickey Mantles and stuff like that," Olmscheid said.

He's even got a Harmon Killebrew rookie card.

"It's rated like a 9 out of 10 for the mint condition so that one's worth quite a bit," he said.

So what does any of this have to do with him as a basketball player? Well, as a guy who appreciates the history of the game, he's making some history himself.

The 6-foot-8 senior forward has started every game since the start of his sophomore year. With nearly a whole season left to go, he's already top 10 in scoring in school history.

"The thing that makes Collin really really difficult to defend is that he can do everything," coach Aaron Griess said. "He's good inside on the post, he can shoot the three, he can just do a lot of things, he's very, very versatile."

"When you play these teams and the same guys for four years in a row, everybody knows what you do, what you like to do, and so you've gotta find other things to get better at each offseason, so you can come into the new season and try to stay as unguardable as possible," Olmscheid said.

Not bad for the back of his basketball card.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.