Collin Chandler getting "noticeably better every day" during post-mission ramp-up

Conditioning is an essential part of the offseason for the entire Kentucky team, but for one Wildcat, it’s a way of life this summer. Collin Chandler is coming off a two-year Mormon mission to Sierra Leone and London, during which basketball wasn’t exactly a priority. Since arriving home in early May, the freshman has been working hard to get back into basketball shape, a ramp-up process that began in earnest when he arrived on Kentucky’s campus last month.

This afternoon, Chandler updated reporters on his transition back to basketball. After a rough start in which his sole focus was conditioning, he said he’s finally noticing improvement each day.

“I don’t know if I knew what to expect with coming back, what it was going to be like,” Chandler told KSR. “It’s hard work, getting back and it’s a grind trying to get my body back right. And especially for those first few weeks, working hard on getting my body back but not being able to play live basketball much.

“That was, I think, the toughest part but it’s been cool to see the gradual effect of getting better. Like I said, it’s not very many times where you feel like you’re getting noticeably better every day but that’s something that I felt coming back, is just feeling like I’m getting better every day.”

As he demands more from his body, Chandler is also learning the importance of recovery, which has become a priority this summer.

“Conditioning-wise, I think everybody is working together on that,” Chandler said of how his training plan differs from his teammates. “I wouldn’t say there’s a huge difference in workload, but especially recovery might be the biggest thing, at least for me, in the ramp-up, is making sure my body is good. Making sure I’m taking care of it and ready to go. Spending time making sure my body feels good for the next day.”

Before leaving for his mission, Chandler was a top 40 player in the 2022 class. At Farmington (UT) High School, he totaled over 1,500 points with 135 made three-pointers and was named the 2022 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year. Trying to get back into shape after two years away from the game can be frustrating, but Chandler said having a coach like Mark Pope, who is familiar with the post-mission ramp-up process from his time at BYU, helps.

“He’s good at helping me to be patient. Telling me, ‘I know how excited you are and how antsy you are to get back on the court but be patient. It will come.’ That’s what his advice is to me and that’s been great for me to have my coach tell me to be patient and give me some perspective on what I’m trying to do when I’m trying to get back.”

Pope’s tutelage is one reason why Chandler believes that once he is back to full speed, he’ll be an even better player than the one who left for Sierra Leone two years ago (growing a few inches helps too.)

“We’re still getting there, but also, I feel like with what Coach Pope is teaching us, it’s different from maybe what I’m used to growing up so I’m feeling like I’m learning and becoming a better player in different ways than I was so that’s how I feel right now.”

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Chandler’s decision to follow Pope to Kentucky

Collin Chandler committed to BYU in November 2021 and left for his mission the next summer with plans of enrolling at the school when he returned this year. One month before he was supposed to come home, those plans changed. On April 12, Mark Pope was announced as Kentucky’s new head coach, throwing Chandler’s future up in the air — but not for long.

“The news came fast and my life that I envisioned is different than what it’s ending up to be and I’m so excited about that,” Chandler said. “Staying home is cool, to have your family around you, but when it comes down to it, my dreams are to play with these guys, to play with the best players possible and I felt like Kentucky gave me that opportunity.

“To play for Coach Pope is something that I’ve looked forward to for those years that I was committed to BYU. I wanted to learn from him. I love the way he thinks about the basketball game and so, I wanted to be able to eat up everything that he could teach me and that’s what made the decision to come to Kentucky. It was my decision and I felt it was what I needed to do.”

Chandler committed to Kentucky on April 16, just four days after Pope took the job. In the weeks that followed, the two stayed in touch even though Chandler was finishing up his mission and Pope was working nonstop to build a roster and staff.

“We would talk maybe once every week, every other week over email. We’d chat a little bit but not as much communication as obviously, you would like. He was great at keeping our relationship there as I was going.”

When Chandler touched down in Utah, Pope and assistant coach Cody Fueger were at the airport with his friends and family to welcome him back.

“We didn’t talk about it [beforehand] but it was great to see him, my family, my loved ones there. It meant a lot to have him and Coach Fueger there to welcome me back home and to just show what loving people they are.

“Coach Pope, Coach Fueger, and the rest of the coaching staff are just loving people. They love us players and I think that’s what helps us to learn and come together as a team the most, is we feel the love, [and want to] meet the expectations that they have for us. The expectations are extremely high here at Kentucky but the love that they have helps us to meet those expectations.”