$12M worth Dawn Staley reacts as 2028 South Carolina prospect lands at No. 20 in ESPN top 25 list

ESPN released its first ranking for the 2028 recruiting class and it has seemingly garnered Dawn Staley's attention. The coach of South Carolina's women's basketball program reacted to the placement of Mason Collins. The guard is coming off a freshman season for Christ School in North Carolina where he displayed positional versatility and adaptability.

While the 6-foot-6 guard can orchestrate the pace on the floor, Collins can also find his spots off the ball. He posted the ESPN list on X on Thursday.

"Only more too come 🙏🏽," he captioned the post.

As some fans congratulated Collins for his ESPN ranking, $12 million worth (as per Celebrity Net Worth) Dawn Staley responded with a seeming inside joke.

"Where them voters at, Mase?!!! #iykyk," she commented.

Mason Collins averaged nine points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and one steal per game on 37% shooting from the 3-point line in his freshman HS season. On paper, his statistics do not imply the numbers akin to top-tier recruits. However, he shared leadership responsibility with five Division I prospects, including No. 57 overall Zymicah Wilkins.

Collins is assumed to take up a bigger role for coach Josh Coley next season and continue to climb in the 2028 class. He showcased maturity in his game last year by being a dependable shooter and setting up teammates as Christ School won the State Championship.

---

Dawn Staley is Mason Collins' godmother

When Dawn Staley began her first coaching role with Temple in 2000, Mason Collins' mother, Ariana Moore, was in her first recruiting class. Moore played all four years under the championship coach and now spearheads the Director of Operations role for the Gamecocks.

When her first child, Madden, was born, Moore asked Staley to be his godmother. The coach has taken up the responsibility seriously since then.

"They don’t even have a godfather, she can fill both roles," Moore said while speaking with Citizen-Times. "She was so thrilled when I asked her to consider it. She’s taken that job seriously."

As Madden and Mason Collins were growing up, Dawn Staley allowed Ariana Moore to take time off to take the brothers to AAU games and attend South Carolina practices. She also visits their high school games, even when it means making a trip between regular season games.