Collins: 'I feel great, awesome, terrific'

by Phil Jasner

Published Oct. 22, 2010, 2:30 p.m. ET

When Doug Collins took a fall on Memorial Day at a coffee shop in Phoenix, he broke three ribs and hit his head on the concrete floor.

Collins, the 76ers' new coach, revelead that and more after a practice today at PCOM that ran a solid 2 1/2 hours.

This was Collins' first day back after missing the last two preseason games to undergo neurological testing and treatment, primarily for vertigo.

He did suffer a concussion in the incident.

The fall, he said, was related to feeling lightheaded, brought on by low blood pressure. He said the situation was not related to stress or fatigue, but he was taken from the coffee shop on a gurney to a nearby hopsital and was kept overnight.

Asked how he felt today, Collins said, "I feel great, awesome, terrific. I was able to have a couple of days where I saw the doctors and had some tests. All the tests were great. Basically, what I'm dealing with is vertigo. I took a nasty fall."

Collisn said doctors anticipated no long-term effects and that he was more than ready to resume coaching his team.

Roughly two hours of the practice were observed by chairman Ed Snider and president Rod Thorn. General maanager Ed Stefanski was there for the duration.

The Sixers open their regular season Wednesday night against Miami.