Dawn Staley shares wholesome message for North Carolina native Mason Collins following Team USA selection

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley is one of the most respected coaches in women's basketball. As a result, when someone gets an endorsement or shout out from her, it is a big deal. On Friday, USA Basketball released the players for its U16 national team. North Carolina native Mason Collins was added to the roster.

Shortly after the news was announced, Staley hopped on X with a wholesome message for the young player.

"We see you Mase!!!" Staley wrote. "Let’s get it!!! Red, white and blue looks great on you!!"

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Collins is only 15 years old, and as a result, is several years away from being able to start his college career. According to 247Sports and ESPN, he is from Arden, North Carolina, despite the indication from the X post that he is from South Carolina. He will be eligible to start his college career with the class of 2028.

The rest of the USA U16 squad is as follows, according to the USAB website:

Nasir Anderson, G
Bechham Black, G
Mason Collins, G/F
Erik Dampier Jr, C
Colton Hiller, F/G
Bentley Lusakueno, F/C
Kameron Mercer, F
Jordan Page, F/G
CJ Rosser, F
Shalen Sheppard, F/C
Marcus Spears Jr, F
AJ Williams, F/G

Dawn Staley receives a shoutout from Magic Johnson

While Dawn Staley is a big figure in the basketball world, someone who is certainly even bigger is NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. Staley released her new book, "Uncommon Favor: Basketball, North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I Learned from All Three," on May 20. On Tuesday, Johnson received a gifted copy from Staley and posted on X to thank her.

"Thank you Coach Dawn Staley for gifting me a copy of your new book Uncommon Favor!" Johnson wrote. "Congratulations and keep blessing the world."

Shortly after Johnson made his post, Staley hopped on X to reply and thank him for his support.

"It’s all love Magic!!" Staley wrote. "Thank you for your leadership in every space you have touch! Keep leading! Keep smiling! Keep being magically you!!!"

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While Staley has kept busy off the court this offseason, she is also preparing for the next college basketball season. Her South Carolina Gamecocks are once again expected to contend for the national championship. They lost in the national championship game to the UConn Huskies this year, ending their hopes of winning their third championship in four years.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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Edited by Alexander O'Reilly