Daimion Collins reveals how close he was to transferring from Kentucky

Kentucky Wildcats big man Daimion Collins did not have a great freshman season with the Wildcats. And with the limited success he had, most within the new realm of college athletics would have hopped into the transfer portal and found a new home. But Collins stayed true to his commitment to Kentucky and decided to return for his sophomore season.

So how close was he to transferring from the University of Kentucky? Well, during a brief interview at the Wildcats summer practices, Collins revealed how close he was to transferring.

“None at all,” the Kentucky big man said when asked how much he considered transferring. “I knew once I committed here that I was fully committed. So, I didn’t have no interest in transferring.”

That is good news for the Kentucky men’s basketball program, which found themselves on the wrong end of a Cinderella story in the 2022 Men’s March Madness Tournament. The Wildcats, a No. 2 seed, fell to Saint Peters, a No.15 seed, in the first round of the tournament, 85-79. The Peacocks needed overtime to pull off the upset against the Wildcats; outscoring them 14-8 to move onto the round of 32. In that game, Collins did not record a single minute for head coach John Calipari.

This year Kentucky and Collins will be looking for a much better end to their season. And with the talent that is on the Wildcats roster, they should get past the first round of the NCAA tournament in 2023.

Collins reveals how he grew last year, how his role has prepared him for second season

The Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team is currently going through its summer off-season program. One of those players the Wildcats coaches are watching closely and are expecting big things from next season is big man Daimion Collins. The sophomore had a rough freshman season this past year but is looking to bounce back in a big way.

Recently, in a brief press conference, Collins revealed how he grew from last year, and how his role has prepared him for his second season at Kentucky.

“I think that this season, I will be able to show my versatility, play inside and out, block shots, rebound and run the floor and just show that I can play to my full potential,” said Collins. “I mean, I’m a lot more comfortable. I’ve been working on my game a lot over the offseason, just getting ready for the next season. So I’m feeling real comfortable.”

During his freshman season at Kentucky, Collins averaged 2.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in just 7.4 minutes per game. He chose Kentucky over Alabama, Kansas, Texas and others after being ranked the No. 18 overall prospect in the On3’s Consensus rankings. He was also No. 1 in the state of Texas but brought raw talent to the table which he worked to improve all year.