Syracuse basketball has interest in 5-star wing who is playing in FIBA U17 World Cup

The new Syracuse basketball staff, led by first-year head coach Gerry McNamara, is showing an interest in 2028 five-star wing and top-10 national prospect Mason Collins, who also held interest from the former Orange staff under then-head coach Adrian Autry.

Blake Smith, founder of the Recruits Zone, says in a post on X that since the 2028 contact period opened on June 15, the 6-foot-6 Collins has heard from a bunch of college squads, including the Orange.

Given his national rankings and overall skillset, it's no surprise that heavyweight programs such as Houston, UConn, Duke, North Carolina, Alabama, Virginia and many others have reached out to Collins.

Since the contact period opened, enabling college coaches to initiate direct communication with rising high school juniors, the Syracuse basketball staff has reached out to numerous four-star and five-star prospects in the 2028 cycle. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the 'Cuse ultimately offers a scholarship to Collins.

Syracuse basketball is taking a close look at 2028 five-star wing Mason Collins.

Collins is a standout at The Tatnall School in Wilmington, Del., after previously suiting up at the Christ School in Arden, N.C. Basketball is in his blood. According to reports, Collins' dad was a star at Temple and played in the NBA, while his mom also starred for the Owls.

In the 2025-26 stanza for Tatnall, Collins received an honorable mention nod for the MaxPreps sophomore All-American teams after he averaged 17.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.1 blocks and 2.9 steals per contest.

On the AAU circuits this spring and summer, Collins is playing for the 16U team of the Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Team CP3 in Nike's EYBL league. He is averaging 10.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while connecting on 36.5 percent from the field, 26.7 percent from beyond the arc and 66.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Collins' offer sheet includes teams such as Florida State, Notre Dame, Georgetown, N.C. State, Villanova, Virginia and South Carolina, per recruiting services.

Currently, Collins is playing for the USA Basketball U17 national team at the 2026 FIBA World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey, which takes place from June 27 to July 5. On Saturday, Team USA won its first game at this annual event, beating France by a final count of 115-84.

Collins played about 11 minutes, and he registered three points, one rebound, two assists and one steal, according to a box score. Last June, he averaged 10.0 points, 3.5 assists and 2.3 rebounds per affair in helping the USA Basketball U16 national team to a gold medal at the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup in Juarez, Mexico.

Within the 2028 class, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite places Collins at No. 7 overall, No. 4 at small forward and No. 1 in Delaware. Over at the industry-generated Rivals Industry Ranking, he is No. 7 nationally, No. 2 at small forward and No. 1 in Delaware.

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