BY: Jacob Maldonado Nofziger
Courtesy: Goshen Commons

Errick McCollum II holds the single season and career scoring records in basketball at Goshen College. In the spring of his senior year in 2010, as a 6'1" guard, he executed a soaring dunk that became an ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 play.

But unlike the majority of Goshen College students, McCollum never traveled abroad en route to earning his undergraduate degree. His credentials as a global citizen came later, courtesy of his ability to speak with the basketball in any language.

This year, McCollum, who is 25, is headed to Turkey, a perennial powerhouse in international basketball, to play professionally with the Best Balikesir Basketball Club.

Last season he played professionally in Israel, where he topped the league in scoring, averaging 24.3 points per game and scoring a high of 40 points in one game.

McCollum said that his parents predicted that they would have two professional athletes in their family. Friends used to laugh at the claim, he said, but they no longer do.

McCollum's younger brother, C.J., who plays for Lehigh University, was a two-time Patriot League player of the year and the nation's fifth-leading scorer as a junior last season. C.J. McCollum led Lehigh, a No. 15 seed in the NCAA. tournament, in knocking off Duke, the No. 2 seed, last March.

"My parents always knew we had the ability and talent, and they put us in the position to gain every opportunity we could get," Errick McCollum said.

McCollum excelled in high school ball in Canton, Ohio, but his size turned away many Division I schools. Goshen College didn't hesitate, and McCollum took a road less traveled in his journey to the pros.

At Goshen College, he excelled, as a senior becoming the first Maple Leaf to be named conference player of the year. He averaged 25.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3 assists per contest and was named a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) First Team All American.

Errick McCollum dribbles past defenders while playing for the Goshen College Maple Leafs in 2010. Since graduating, McCollum has played professional basketball overseas.

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Editor's Note: Since this story was compiled, Errick McCollum accepted an offer to play for Appolon Patras in Patras, Greece.  The team is part of the Greek Basketball League, rated as one of the top three basketball leagues in all of Europe.