2022 CG MJ Collins Commits to VT

MJ Collins spent a good part of his June like most recruits- taking visits to campuses for the first time since COVID-19 shut down in-person recruiting. While planning his Blacksburg visit on June 5, the Rock Hill, South Carolina shooting guard said Mike Young and his staff were excited "to show me what they have to offer" and that "they love my game and [believe] I am going to fit their system well." Collins must have agreed because he's kicking off July as a Hokie.

110% COMMITTED!!! @HokiesMBB Let's Turn Up🦃🦃 #AGTG🙏🏽 @JamieShaw5 @Sim_Frazier @CoachE_WCCS @coachaddie @Leosway19 @TravisBranham_ @TeamCurry @Coach_Rick57 pic.twitter.com/TsLo1ifX61— Mj.collins2 (@Collins2Mj) July 4, 2021

On Sunday, the 6-4 Collins announced via social media he would be committing to VT, choosing the Hokies over offers from Oklahoma, Clemson, Wake Forest, Xavier, Providence, and others. A Rivals 150 prospect, the 247Sports composite grades Collins at 0.9309, just outside their 4-star cutoff, and between former Hokie standouts Justin Robinson (0.9390) and Kerry Blackshear (0.9270).

Before he was one of the top guards on the Hokies' board, MJ Collins was a new 2020 transfer to Westminster Catawba Christian School in Rock Hill. He'd made the move south from Charlotte's Northside Christian as part of a wave of talent following newly hired head coach Ed Addie (who was an assistant at Collins' previous stop, Gaston Day School). If you haven't heard of WCCS, you shouldn't feel too bad. Prior to Addie's hiring in 2019, they had gone through 9 coaches in 11 seasons and won 16 games in the previous 5 seasons combined. In Addie's two seasons at the helm, they've posted a combined W/L of (36-8). This dramatic rise has been a head-turning storyline in the Carolinas.

Collins has been a huge part of that transformation. In his first season at WCCS, Collins proceeded to go off for 18.4 ppg and 4.9 rebounds, turning in performances that got the attention of Virginia Tech and others. The Hokies were Collins' first high-major offer, making the call this April. After a spring that saw him turn in terrific showings with Team Curry, Collins made visits to ETSU, Wake Forest, and Clemson, in addition to his official visit to Blacksburg. Moving forward, Collins will be back in action July 8 with Team Curry where he plays with another priority Virginia Tech target, 2023 PG Caleb Foster (Oak Hill Academy). He also happens to be teammates at Westminster with 2024 CG Jahseem Felton (cousin of Raymond Felton). Both Foster and Felton will be national recruits.

Scouting and evaluations for the last year-plus have been knocked off-balance by the pandemic. While that did no favors for Collins, it's great news for Mike Young and staff in this case. Collins sees himself as a Bradley Beal-type player and the comparisons in style are pretty compelling. He's an ideal wing prospect- a three-level scorer with smooth shooting mechanics who's very good on both ends of the floor, both in the half-court and in transition. Defenders pick their poison with Collins. He has the athleticism and strength to get a tough 2 at the rim. He has the vision and awareness to draw a double team and find the open man. And he has the shiftiness and quickness to break down his man and create space for an easy bucket. In sum, I feel like the Hokies are getting a steal in MJ Collins and he will be a critical piece of the puzzle moving forward.

Collins is Virginia Tech's first commit of the 2022 class.