Daimion Collins says wait for opportunity was tough, but it paid off in UK win at Alabama
When asked the last time he did not play much for a basketball team, Kentucky freshman Daimion Collins smiled.
“Uh, never,” he said on a Zoom teleconference Monday.
UK assistant coach Jai Lucas saluted the patience and perseverance demonstrated by Collins, who fit the profile of a Kentucky recruit by being a five-star prospect and McDonald’s All-American.
“It’s extremely hard …,” Lucas said. “He’s been the best player since probably the time he was 6 (years old) all the way through 18.
“So, it’s hard. Extremely hard.”
Going into Saturday’s game at Alabama, Collins had played only 22 minutes since December.
“My whole mindset was to stay ready for my opportunity,” he said. “Keep working. Keep grinding every day. … When my chance comes, be ready to play hard.”
Collins acknowledged this was not easy.
“I think it would be tough for any basketball player …,” he said. “Every basketball player wants to get out there and play.”
He credited his parents for helping him deal with a new basketball challenge of not playing. He said he speaks to his parents every night.
Collins’ chance to contribute in a game came at Alabama. He contributed 10 points and six rebounds to UK’s victory. He termed it a “normal game.”
“I just did what I was asked to do,” he said.
After the game, UK Coach John Calipari noted how Alabama’s tendency to react to a guard penetrating into the paint created an opportunity to throw lobs. This led to the conclusion that an athletic “big” like Collins could contribute.
Given Collins’ 40-plus inch vertical leap, precision on the passes was not a must, Lucas said. “Just close your eyes and throw it.”
Collins saluted the passers, guards Sahvir Wheeler and TyTy Washington.
“Two good point guards that are not selfish and that are always looking,” he said. “It just helps me and helps them at the same time.”
Lucas cited another contribution Collins made as key to Kentucky’s victory: Making six of six free throws in a road game freighted with importance. The UK assistant coach attributed the dunks off lobs to talent and “God’s gift,” meaning Collins’ athleticism.
As for the free throws, “it just goes to mental toughness,” Lucas said. “When you don’t play, the big thing now is just instant gratification for kids. I’m sure he’s getting bombarded with people from the outside (telling him), ‘Oh, you’re not doing this.’ Trying to blame the coaches. …
“Not playing, it’s easier to just miss a free throw, and kind of have a built-in excuse. ‘Oh, I haven’t played, so that’s why I missed free throws.’”
Collins will take averages of 3.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 9.3 minutes into Kentucky’s next game, which is at South Carolina on Tuesday night.
When asked what kind of freshman season he expected to have for a program synonymous with one-and-done players, Collins said, “Just coming in, the main thing was just development. Just get myself right. Get better.”
Lucas suggested that Kentucky’s recruiting process had to help. Calipari’s mantra is to make no promises of minutes, points or anything else to prospects used to hearing hosannas.
“But we knew how talented he was,” Lucas said of Collins. UK saw Collins as filling a void by being “an elite shot-blocker, lob threat, rim-runner,” Lucas said. “Part of the reason his family sent him here was the development piece.”
Earlier in the day, South Carolina Coach Frank Martin lamented the lack of production from his “bigs” in recent games.
“We’ve got to find a way to get our big guys involved offensively,” Martin said. “… Our big guys, they screen. For the most part, they play pretty good post defense.
“We’re just getting nothing offensively from our ‘bigs’ right now.”
One of Collins’ goals as a “big” is become bigger. A listed weight of 202 pounds on a 6-foot-9 frame makes him susceptible to getting outmuscled.
To stand up against bulkier opponents, Collins said he lift weights three or four times a week. He also said he is on a meal plan.
“I really eat the regular stuff,” he said. “It’s just eating more. At least 5,000 calories a day to try to build my body.”
Tuesday
No. 5 Kentucky at South Carolina
When: 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: UK 19-4 (8-2 SEC); South Carolina 13-9 (4-6)
Series: UK leads 53-13
Last meeting: UK won 92-64 on March 6, 2021, in Lexington
This story was originally published February 7, 2022 at 1:23 PM.
