Father of Top-Shelf Recruit Talking to Duke Basketball Coaches

Sitting inside the top 10 in the 2028 cycle, The Tatnall School (Del.) small forward Mason Collins now looks like a prime candidate to eventually become one of the first 2028 prospects to receive an offer from fourth-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and the blueblood recruiting team in Durham.

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The 6-foot-6, 195-pound versatile five-star's father and head coach at The Tatnall School is 2002-06 Temple Owls backcourt sensation and former four-year NBA player Mardy Collins. He gave 247Sports' Dushawn London an update on his son's recruitment this week and mentioned the Blue Devils' early interest.

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer — Oct 3, 2025; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer smiles during the Countdown to Craziness at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

"He has an offer from South Carolina," Mardy Collins told London, coming as no surprise given the fact that the 16-year-old Mason Collins' mother, Ariana Moore, who also starred at Temple, is currently the Gamecocks' director of women's basketball operations. "We went to Virginia last week because my other son plays at American, so they also offered when we went there.

"Right now, I'm talking to Duke, Villanova, Clemson, Syracuse, Notre Dame, and others. They're just waiting, as he's a sophomore, seeing his development."

Growth Spurt Remolds Mason Collins' Athletic Outlook

According to Mardy Collins' recent chat with City of Basketball Love's Joseph Santoliquito, it wasn't too long ago when Mason Collins stood well under 6 feet tall and dreamed of becoming a professional wrestler and NFL quarterback.

"This is still new to Mason," his dad explained. "He was a short, chubby kid growing up who was a football and diehard pro wrestling fan...Ariana always knew Mason would turn into who he is. I didn't see it then. I saw a chubby, short kid (laughs)."

ESPN #6 2028 Mason Collins of Tanall had it going against St Joe’s Prep‼️🔥 pic.twitter.com/V5UNp0vXm0
— RareFootage (@RareFootageNews) December 31, 2025

Mason Collins told Santoliquito that his "dream school" is Duke.

As things stand, though, the Duke basketball staff hasn't even officially entered the fray for any 2027 talents, much less anyone in the 2028 recruiting arena just yet.

Nevertheless, Mason Collins, who helped the USA Men's U16 National Team capture gold at the 2025 FIBA U16 AmeriCup back in early June by averaging 10.0 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.3 rebounds off the bench, is clearly a name to remember whenever the time comes for Jon Scheyer and his Blue Devil cohorts to ramp up their efforts on the 2028 trail.

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