Daimion Collins had "no interest" in transferring; is working on adding weight

From the outside looking in, Daimion Collins came to Lexington as a consensus five-star prospect and an expected first-round pick in this past week’s 2022 NBA Draft. With so much length and unusual athleticism for someone as tall as him, there was plenty to love about the quiet Texas native. But behind closed doors, most within the Kentucky program — including Collins and his family — expected that another year in college was the most likely outcome.

The 6-foot-9 bouncy center will look to play into his five-star potential as he enters his second offseason as a Wildcat. His mind is already in the right place.

Despite an up-and-down freshman campaign, he never once thought of transferring from Kentucky. Collins averaged 2.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per game for the ‘Cats in 2021-22 across 27 appearances, including one start. He played regularly early in the year against non-conference opponents but mostly rode the bench into the SEC portion of the schedule.

“None at all. I knew once I committed here to Kentucky I was fully committed so I didn’t have no interest in transferring,” Collins told the media on Friday.

Collins’ best outing was a 10-point, six-rebound performance against Alabama in nine minutes during February. However, he failed to play more than five minutes in any of the eight contests he appeared in the rest of the season for UK.

Now, as one of the team’s “veterans” heading into 2022-23, Collins has been able to relax into his role while focusing entirely on his game and adding weight.

“I’m a lot more comfortable,” he added. “I’ve been working on my game a lot over the offseason, getting ready for next season, so I’m feeling real comfortable.”

Expectations were as high for a freshman-year Collins as they are for most John Calipari-coached rookies. But it was clear early on in the season that Collins needed some fine-tuning. His weight was the first thing that stood out. He was rail-thin when he arrived in Lexington and was quickly put on a 5,000 calorie per day diet.

Bigger opponents in the SEC were able to brush him aside with ease. His superior athleticism could only take him so far if he couldn’t power over his defender. But Collins is well-aware of his need to improve in building his body. He added that his goal weight is around 215 pounds — right now he’s around 200.

“That’s a huge priority because that’s probably one of my biggest downfalls right now is my body. So I’ve been working really hard to get my body right,” Collins said. “I’ve definitely been making progress. I’ve gained a few pounds here lately but I’m still working to gain some more.”

Collins’ time at Kentucky hasn’t exactly gone to plan when looking solely at mock draft boards from this time last year, but in reality, he knew all along he’d have to earn every ounce of playing time. It’ll be up to him if he wants to take a sophomore leap.

“To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect for real because (Calipari) told me from the jump, he was like nothing is gonna be given to me, I got to work for what I want,” Collins said about initially committing to UK. “Last year played out how it did so I got to come back this year, work harder, play harder, make it a big year.”