(Photo: Marlee Smith/WCSN)
The playgrounds of elementary schools are where many future athletes’ love of sports begin. The excitement of sprinting on the field and staining their freshly cleaned clothes with dirt that’ll later drive their mothers crazy. As well as the scraps and bruises that’ll form from diving for loose balls on concrete basketball courts, signifying that childish carelessness where winning is all that matters.
Those battles on the playground begin the treacherous expedition for young athletes to make it to the NBA. Most adolescent hoopers start their career in the AAU circuit, where they grow their skills and bond with teammates that will stay intertwined for a lifetime. For Arizona State Basketball, that connection has come full circle as sophomore forward Marcus Bagley and sophomore guard Frankie Collins.
“Many people don’t know, but I played on the same third-grade AAU team as him, so we go way back,” Bagley said. “I feel like we have that off-the-court relationship, and it just gelled into the on-the-court one, so I’m excited for that.”
https://t.co/cqlZcGVN20 pic.twitter.com/DWQBSr0DaH
— frankie💕 (@Frankiecollins0) October 21, 2022
Bagley reminisced about the two’s success on the court, earning them national recognition. It 10-year-old Bagley and Collins led their team to nationals twice and were ranked as high as fourth nationally. Despite being a decade ago, Collins still laughs about the roster’s dominance.
“We won a lot of games. We were blowing teams out for sure,” Collins laughed. “We also had [junior California guard] Devin Askew, [sophomore Stanford guard] Isa Silvia, so we had a good team, man.”
Four future Division 1 prospects were on that third-grade AAU team, which led to many nights of lopsided victories for the young Sun Devils. Bagley was reluctant to answer when asked about who was the better player back then, but he gave credit to his childhood teammate.
“At that time, I was pretty much a spot-up shooter,” Bagley said. “He was a scrappy kid on defense. I don’t really remember it like that. We won a lot of games. That’s all that matters.”
The duo began building chemistry with one another during those AAU games. So, when the former Wolverine entered the transfer portal this past spring, it was a no-brainer that Bagley was going on an all-out blitz to get his former teammate to Tempe.
“When I heard he was coming on a visit, I said, ‘yeah, I got to lock this in.’ The day after the visit, he committed, and I couldn’t be happier,” Bagley said. “We’re glad to have him. He’s a great guy off the court, great guy on the court. He’ll definitely be a leader for us.”
Bagley talked very highly of Collins’ character, which is why he pursued him heavily on his visit. After arriving in Tempe, Collins immediately reconnected with Bagley, and the two began the potential talks of teaming up again, which helped make the decision easier for him.
“[Bagley] played a big role,” Collins said avidly. “We played together when we were younger, so for him to reach out to me and when I was on my visit, he was here. He really broke it down to me how hungry he is this year and how he wants this year to be the year because he’s been robbed these last few years.”
The injury bug has bitten Bagley hard in his last two years at ASU, totaling only 15 games played. Collins understands those struggles and wants to help alleviate some of that burden. They share a similar hunger to silence doubters from last year, making their presence felt again in 2022. Bagley, with his injuries, and Collins, with his limited role at Michigan, are entering the season with a chip on their shoulder.
Years have passed since Bagley and Collins dominated those AAU courts together, and many things have changed physically and mentally, 20-year-old Collins hopes to repeat the success of his 10-year-old self.
“It’s already translated like we had that connection out there,” Collins said, “We’re always on the same page when we’re out there; it’s like second nature. So, it’s already carried over in a way, but you guys will be able to see more when we start playing and stuff, but it’s definitely there.”
