David “Aki” Collins joined Head Coach Buzz Williams staff in April 2008. Prior to that, Collins worked on Ed Cooley's staff at Fairfield University after serving three seasons as an assistant coach at Marshall University. Collins has a proven ability to recruit student-athletes who achieve success both on the basketball court as well as in the classroom.

Collins played an instrumental role in Marshall's success on the basketball court over the past three seasons. During his stay, the Thundering Herd placed several student-athletes on Conference USA all-conference teams, including Mark Patton and Markel Humphrey last season. The Brooklyn native came to Marshall after three seasons as an assistant coach at Howard University where he served under head coach Frankie Allen.

During his tenure, Collins was part of a coaching staff that turned the team into a highly-successful program. Before his arrival at Howard, the program posted just three victories in the previous two seasons. After winning 10 games during the 2000-01 season, the Bison won 18 games in 2001-02 and advanced to the conference championship game. In three years at Howard, Collins was part of a coaching staff that averaged nearly 14 wins per season (41-48).

Collins brought in two pre-season MEAC player of the year candidates in Aki Thomas (2002) and Kyle Williams (2003), both of whom transferred to Howard from the University of Colorado, following Collins when he made the trip back east. He also helped recruit the 2003 MEAC Player of the Year Ronnie Williams.

Before making the move to Howard, Collins spent three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Colorado, one as a volunteer and two as a full-time assistant. His responsibilities with the Buffalos included supervising the team managers, coordinating film exchange, and participating in on-campus recruiting activities. He coached Jaquay Walls while in Boulder. Walls went on to become a second-round draft pick by the Indiana Pacers in 2000.

He began his collegiate career at Morehouse College, before transferring to Clark University for his sophomore year. He attended LaSalle Academy in New York, where he led his team to a 26-1 record and the New York City championship as a sophomore. LaSalle earned a Top 20 pre-season ranking prior to his senior campaign.

Collins is married to the former Ina Taylor.