A promise to his grandmother inspiring Rogues player
Family and adversity are fuelling Marquis Collins’ pro basketball journey with the Rogues
When Marquis Collins was 10 years old, he made a promise to his grandmother.
Before she died, a pre-teen Collins promised her he would make it to the NBA as a professional basketball player.
One day, he told her, he’d wear a jersey with his name on the back.
Now 26 and staring with the Newfoundland Rogues of The Basketball Super League (BSL), Collins has yet to fulfill that promise, but he’s getting closer as he climbs the ranks in hopes of one day getting there.
“She is the reason why the Rogues fans get to see me play today,” he said.
OVERCOMING ADVERSITY
Before Collins could even think about fulfilling that promise, there were plenty of obstacles thrown in his way.
First, the Chester, PA native was cut from his AAU team in high school, which was followed by a pair of shoulder surgeries in college that cost him some time.
When Collins did come back, he wasn’t playing all that much either.
It’s been a struggle to get this far, he said, but it’s helped him prepare for any obstacles that come up.
“I beat a lot of odds to even make it this far,” said Collins. “It’s definitely a lot of hurdles, but I feel like I’m built for it. Whatever passes in front of you, I’m built for it.”
FOLLOWING HIS BROTHER
Collins’ basketball origin story in Chester, where almost every park had a hoop, starts like anyone who has an older brother
As a youngster, Collins made sure to follow his brother, Mark Collins, to every basketball court in their hometown.
They wouldn’t always get on the court together, but the inspiration was there. Mark is the reason the younger Collins started playing basketball.
From there, his older brother taught him how to shoot and play the game.
“I pretty much wanted to follow in his footsteps — he was a Chester Clipper as well — and then be one of the greats,” said Collins.
BASKETBALL LINEAGE
That list of greats who come from Chester is unexpected, yet extensive. Over a dozen players and coaches from Chester have gone on to higher levels of basketball, including the pros.
That includes names like NBA players like Jameer Nelson, Tyreke Evans — a teammate of Mark Collins — and Rondae Hollis-jefferson, who Collins played with when he was a freshman and Hollisjefferson was a senior.
It’s a large number for a city of just 33,000 people.
It’s a lineage Collins wants to uphold and progress as his pro career continues.
“Being that it’s so small, it’s not a huge population. So, you don’t have great odds to make it even this far to where I’m at,” said Collins.
“So just being an inspiration and continuing forward, that’s the main priority.”
STEPPING UP
Those Rogues fans have seen a greatly improved Collins this year. He arrived in St. John’s midway through last season, and it was enough for him to want to come back for a second go-around.
After spending the summer with the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Saskatchewan Rattlers, Collins has taken the lessons learned there and applied them to his game this season.
“I feel like I just brought everything back into this season. It’s paying off for sure,” he said.
With six games remaining in the season, Collins is second on the team in scoring with 21.1 points per game, which is also top-five league-wide, and is shooting a blistering 47 per cent from behind the three-point arc, also a top number in the league.
BACK ON THE COURT
The progress of Collins will continue next week when the Rogues welcome the Sudbury Five to the Mary Brown’s Centre in St. John’s for a three-game set starting on April 18.
Those games are important as the Rogues fight for playoff positioning in the BSL.
“We’re really focused in on getting our number one slot and then just making sure everything is clicking going into playoffs,” said Collins.