City of Basketball Love

Jared Leveson (@jared_leveson)
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An eight-year-old Katie Collins struggled with her shoelaces. Her fingers fumbled and slipped.

She finally pulled her double-knot tight and walked onto the floor, remembering the encouraging words from her parents and older brother. 

Collins hadn’t played basketball before and was preparing for her first tryout for New Jersey Belles’ third-grade squad. 

“I just tried it out and I wasn’t very good, but I knew I loved it and that’s where everything started for me,” she said.

It seemed destined that basketball would play a prominent role in her life. Mark, her father played in high school; her mom Jennifer played at Lehigh; and her brother Jack plays at Monmouth University. 

Her third-grade tryout springboarded into an exceptional high school career and a commitment to the University of Pennsylvania. 

Penn associate head coach Kelly Killion introduced herself to Collins in April at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton, Va. Head coach Mike Mclaughlin watched her play too.

“I remember seeing them at all of my games and hoping they were there for me,” Collins added over the phone. “I pretty much knew right when they offered me that I wanted to go there.” 

Collins’ junior season saw her average 10 points, 7.5 rebounds, and two assists per game. She blocked 64 shots and helped Manasquan (N.J.) achieve a 22-7 mark. Her play with the New Jersey Gemz EYBL squad led to Patriot League and Ivy League schools recruiting her. 

She eventually narrowed down her options to Bucknell and Penn. 

She visited Penn’s campus and spent a day with the coaching staff and players in early May. The opportunity to study at the prestigious Wharton School of Business and live in University City attracted Collins. 

But from a basketball perspective, playing for Penn’s coaching staff at the Palestra in a super competitive Ivy League was an easy sell.

“It’s awesome,” Collins said about the Palestra. “We got to go in and my dad was loving it.” 

She even reconnected with former Manasquan teammate and Penn sophomore guard Georgia Heine, who helped her get an authentic feel for on-campus life.  

The 6-foot-2 forward sat down with McLaughlin and watched film too.  

“He showed me some highlights from their team and he showed me this girl that he thinks is the same position as me who will be graduating the year I’m coming,” she said. 

McLaughlin explained that the role he showed her could be hers if she worked for it. 

Collins still has an entire high school season left but has already responded to her future head coach’s challenge and is preparing herself for the increased level of play in the Ivy League. 

She excels at blocking shots and offensively can play in the post, shoot, or drive from the wing. But the All-Shore Conference third-team honoree knows she’s not at the top of her game yet. 

“I’m definitely trying to work on my ball handling and my guard skills because I know in college it’s very different,” she added. “I need to be able to control the ball [and] make good decisions.

“Along the same lines I have been working on my passing and making good crisp passes and making sure I see the floor because that’s something that I feel like is overlooked a lot and it’s really important.” 

Collins’ high school career has exponentially improved year by year. Her freshman season was limited because of COVID restrictions, and she saw little minutes during her sophomore year because of a senior-heavy roster.

But her confidence skyrocketed last season with her increased role. 

“I think I’ve become a lot more confident and I know what I’m capable of more than I have before,” she said.

Collins wouldn’t have been able to accomplish any of this without her family, particularly her brother, Jack. The 6-foot-5 guard just finished his first year at Monmouth and previously spent a post-graduate year at the Phelps School. 

She wasn’t always the strongest on the court and appreciated Jack for supporting and challenging her on the driveway. 

“We’re both pretty competitive, so it gets intense during the game, but of course, after we just shake it off, and it doesn’t really matter,” Katie said. “He’s very supportive of me when it comes to my game and stuff like that. 

“I grew up just watching all of his games and wanting to be as good as he was when he was younger and now he comes to my games and he tells me what he thinks I can do better and what I did well and like gives me tips so it’s good to have someone there other than my parents that can support me and help out.”