It is a funny thing to see at times. When watching players in a profession like ours, you get a chance to see a ton of talent that you just know or you have a gut feeling on, that it is only a matter of time before their recruitment starts taking off.
2022 6'4 MJ Collins from Westminster Catawba and Team Curry is one of those guys. You could see his potential as early as his time at Northside Christian, even though he may have been considered the second or third option at times on that team. But he continued to progress, he continued to elevate his play, and then started to be the go-to guy more at Westminster Catawba this past season.
Now, his recruitment has been taking off and high-majors are starting to enter the picture. He started off with an offer from Murray State and then added offers from Wofford, Charleston Southern, Appalachian State, East Tennessee State, and Radford in March and early April.
However, he has now added two more impressive offers from Xavier and his first ACC offer from Virginia Tech. Those two schools have expressed interest over the last month or so but it seems that it was time to pull the trigger with an offer.
'Virginia Tech has been on me for about 2-3 months and Coach Hayes at Xavier reached out to my high school coach and then we had a face time call for the first time a couple of weeks ago,' Collins told Phenom Hoops. 'I've been in contact with Coach Frazier (at Virginia Tech), as we have just spoken about how I fit the program but then on Saturday (when they offered), he said they really want me and once my body develops, I'll be a problem with them in the ACC.'
Xavier also has been on him and when they offered as well on Saturday, they too think he would be a nice fit into their program. 'When we first talked, he was like he will be all on me but when they called last night, they said they have been watching and researching me and he thinks I'm a great fit in their program.'
But it may not stop there with big-time programs. Collins also mentioned schools like Boston College, Temple, Elon, and Loyola-Chicago are just some of the latest schools that have been showing interest and could enter the picture with an offer.
One thing is for sure, the blow-up has arrived for Collins and from when we saw him at Northside Christian to where he is now playing with Team Curry and Westminster Catawba, he is going to be a big target for many schools around the country and deservingly so.