City of Basketball Love

Joseph Santoliquito (@JSantoliquito)

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Mason Collins was born into basketball. Mason and his older brother, Madden, had a Fisher-Price Little Tikes basketball hoop when they were toddlers. Their parents, former Temple stars Mardy Collins and Ariana Moore, were ingrained in the game. A 2006 first-round draft pick, Mardy played four years in the NBA and 13 years professionally overall, retiring in 2019 after nine years in Europe. Ariana is Director of Operations at South Carolina for Hall of Famer Dawn Staley and the nationally ranked Gamecocks.

The problem with Mason, however, was that it took a little time for the basketball bug to bite him. He was on the chubby side, and somewhat short growing up, with a penchant for football and professional wrestling. He wanted to be John Cena jumping off the top rope and Patrick Mahomes tossing touchdowns before any thoughts of being Steph Curry crossed his mind.

It’s why Mason’s recent metamorphosis into becoming one of the top players in the nation is pretty amazing. It was not that long ago the sterling 6-foot-6, 190-pound sophomore guard for Tatnall School (Del.) was 5-10, around 180, with no galvanized vision towards a future in basketball.

After watching Mason score a career-best 30 points on Saturday in a 64-59 loss to a very good Academy of New Church team at the Kobe Bryant Play-by-Play Classic at Neumann University, it’s easy to see where Mason’s direction has turned.

It makes his father Mardy, Tatnall’s coach, laugh. Ariana envisioned this early, it look him some time.

“Mason and Madden were naturally around basketball and began picking up things, it was never forced on them,” said Mardy, 41, who played two years for the New York Knicks and two for Los Angeles Clippers. “They naturally picked it up. Madden has a slight recollection of me as a player, and as my sons got older, they started to find out I played and was pretty good (laughs). The crazy part is they both naturally do my spin move, when I never even showed them that move. Mason is going to grow another inch or two, and he just turned 16 in August.

“This is still new to Mason. He was a short, chubby kid growing up who was a football and diehard pro wrestling fan (laughs). He would watch football and wrestling, and the only reason why he played basketball was to keep up with his older brother. Madden used to destroy him, have him crying because Mason was shorter and younger. Ariana always knew Mason would turn into who he is. I didn’t see it then. I saw a chubby, short kid (laughs).”

In 2022, Mason began a six-inch growth spurt, stretching out and becoming more athletic. Mason and Madden attended Christ School in South Carolina, playing a national schedule.

This is Mason’s first year at Tatnall, living in Lansdowne, Delaware County. Mason was ranked nationally based on potential. That has changed. He went from being a role player with Christ School, to blossoming under Mardy's coaching, garnering growing college attention.

South Carolina is the only school that has given Mason an official offer, but that, too, promises to change, especially if he continues to play the way he did on Saturday.

Ranked among the top 10 nationally for 2028, anything Mason wanted to do, he did. He could handle the ball like a point guard, he possessed great range on his shot, and when the Hornets needed to make a push, it was Mason who did it. He displayed a skill set and poise beyond his years, being named MVP of the Tatnall team for his performance.

Mason said his dream school is Duke, along with another top 10 recruit from the area, Coatesville’s Colton Hiller.

Other than his game, what is so attractive about Mason is that winning is important above all. He did not care that he scored a career-best in a high school game. What bothered him was Tatnall suffered its first loss this season.

ANC got up to play Mason. There were numerous college scouts taking notes of Mason’s play. He knows what is coming, box-and-ones, junk defenses designed to stop him. It’s a reputation Mason has built. Everyone braces for Goliath—and Mason is becoming a high school basketball Goliath nationally.

“I want that reputation, I want to be the guy scouting reports say they have to stop,” Mason said. “I have already seen a lot of different defenses. I trust my dad is going to put me in the right spot to be successful, but for me, it is not about scoring, it is about winning the game.

“If I have eight points and nine or 10 assists, where I get my teammates involved and we win, that is all I care about. I’m learning. I think I learned as a team we pushed through adversity. We down 13 and got that game within one, and we have five or six freshmen and two seniors.

Mardy played under two legendary coaches, Bill Ellerbee at Simon Gratz, and John Chaney at Temple. He applies many of their principles to coaching his team and coaching Mason.

Because Mardy is Mason’s coach, colleges are allowed to contact him directly. Temple has reached out, VCU is very interested, and Delaware has contacted Mardy.

“Coach Chaney always got on us about the finest details, and sometimes I just wanted to play, when Coach Chaney would stop everything,” Mardy recalled. “He was always teaching. I find myself doing that now. I see something, I want to correct it, just small details of helping the kids understand this is why I am showing them.

“It is funny, because as a player, I used to get so annoyed when Coach Chaney did not let us play, but I see why now. Some of the same stuff that came out of his mouth comes out of my mouth now.

“Coach showed me so much, and I’m trying to teach the same details, but the game has changed. I want to teach my players to play with some freedom. Mason’s IQ is different, and he’s 16.”

Mardy recalled playing one-on-one against Mason a month ago. The only way he thought he could beat Mason was to post up on him. The father beat the son the first time, 5-0. The third game Mason beat Mardy, 5-2. Mason also noticed something.

“I only like to fade over my right shoulder,” Mardy said. “It’s how pros see the game. The first time he beat me was last year. I’m old (laughs). I can’t move, scared I might tear an Achilles.”

After Mason, who plays for USA Basketball and EYBL basketball in the summer, beat his father for the first time, he was nonchalant about it, telling his father, “Dad, I don’t want to put you in a scooter.”                     

Right now, Mason is able to finally beat both his older brother Madden and his dad.

“One-on-one stuff does not matter to Mason,” Mardy said. “He took shots on Saturday he rarely takes. This is the first time he has taken those shots and growing his game. Mason cares about making everyone around him better and winning.”

An attitude produced and imbedded by good basketball genes.

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Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter based in the Philadelphia area who began writing for CoBL in 2021 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on BlueSky here.