Penn’s Katie Collins is the latest freshman standout fueling the Quakers’ basketball success

For the second year in a row, a freshman has hit the ground running for Penn women’s basketball.

Last year, point guard Mataya Gayle was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year. This season, freshman center Katie Collins is the Quakers' star newcomer.

Collins has started in every game. The Manasquan, N.J., native is averaging 9.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and a league-high 2.1 blocks per game. She has been named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week three times this season, the most of any player.

“She competes every play,” Penn coach Mike McLaughlin said. “She’s got a high learning ceiling. She really wants to improve. She really wants to be a good teammate. She’s got a lot of the intangible pieces that are really hard to teach. She just has them naturally.”

The 6-foot-1 Collins has been able to lean on last year’s Rookie of the Year as she learns.

“Mataya has been great, especially helping me adjust to being in a big role on the team because she was in that position last year,” Collins said. “… Not only with basketball, just everything. Like, making sure I’m not in my head about anything, just helping me stay calm and play better on the court.”

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On Friday, Penn (8-4) pummeled Delaware State, 72-45. Collins made her 11th consecutive start. The Quakers dominated from the tipoff and led by 21 points at halftime as sophomore center Tina Njike finished with a team-high 14 points off the bench.

Collins was dominant on the glass, and recorded seven rebounds. In the third quarter, she outmuscled two Delaware State players for an offensive board. She went back up for a putback and was fouled hard, crashing to the floor.

“That’s definitely something that our coaches instill in us,” Collins said of Penn’s physicality. “Just to play as hard as you can and not really worry about anything else.”

She finished with eight points, four assists, and two blocks.

She starred with 16 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks in a 73-67 loss to Arizona State on Monday. Next up for Collins and the Quakers was Benedictine Mesa on Tuesday before Ivy League play opens Saturday against Columbia at the Palestra (2 p.m., ESPN+).

Collins played high school basketball for Manasquan, which is consistently one of the top public high school programs in New Jersey. In her senior year, Collins averaged 11.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks on the way to her second sectional championship.

“She played on a very talented high school team, very well coached,” McLaughlin said. “As someone in my position, you’re looking at a kid that’s been well coached on a good team — they’re more apt to come in ready to play.”

Her first sectional championship at Manasquan came in 2022 alongside current Penn guard Georgia Heine.

“Everyone contributed to [that championship], from freshmen to the seniors,” Heine said. “So I think getting that experience with Katie was awesome. Hopefully, we can win the Ivy League here together.”

After the 2022 season, Heine graduated and headed to Penn. McLaughlin invited Collins, then a junior at Manasquan, to campus for a recruiting visit and set up then-freshman Heine to give her former teammate a tour of her dorm.

“I was obviously telling her how great Penn was, how great the coaching staff is, and whatnot,” Heine said. “And then we stayed in contact a little bit after that. I know our moms had talked a bit. I definitely did try to encourage her to come here.”

Added Collins: “It was really cool to have Georgia here, because it allowed me a different perspective out of school. I got to see her dorm, and the other recruits didn’t really get to do that. So it was really good to have a connection here. … It really encouraged me to come here.”

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Before the season, Penn took a team trip to Europe and visited Croatia and Italy. The Quakers went undefeated against three international clubs.

In the Ivy League, freshmen are barred from practicing with their teams until the fall semester starts. Because of the summer trip, Collins and the rest of Penn’s rookie class were able to work around that rule.

“That trip really helped us to get a head start. I wish I had that trip as a freshman,” senior forward Stina Almqvist said earlier this season.

Collins also got early experience playing under McLaughlin, who recently reached 250 wins with the program.

“He’s very passionate, and I feel like that’s the best quality for a coach to have,” Collins said. “He wants us to win. He cares. It’s great playing with him, and he obviously has a lot of trust in me, which I’m really grateful for, especially as a freshman.”