Daimion Collins using basketball as his outlet following family tragedy

Putting basketball aside, the last two-plus months for Kentucky men’s basketball sophomore Daimion Collins have been tough, to say the least. The 6-foot-9 native of Texas unexpectedly lost his best friend and father, Ben Collins, on the first of Nov. 2022. Ben had recently moved into an apartment in Lexington so he could be closer to his son. They were together at UK’s practice facility the night before Ben died.

Ben Collins, only 43 at the time, passed in between Kentucky’s two exhibition games during the preseason. At the time, basketball felt irrelevant for Daimion. He flew back home to Atlanta, TX to be with his family and did not return to the hardwood for the Wildcats until UK’s double-overtime loss to Michigan State on Nov. 15.

After taking on a limited role as a freshman in 2021-22, the former five-star recruit was primed for a breakout sophomore campaign. He averaged 10.0 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 60.7 percent from the floor across four outings during Kentucky’s Big Blue Bahamas Tour over the summer. Collins couldn’t go more than a few possessions without throwing down a viral highlight dunk.

But expectations understandably shifted following Ben’s passing. No one would have blamed Daimion if he took some extended time away from basketball. Ensuring he was in a good head space would be priorities numbers one, two, and three moving forward. In the two months that have gone by since that incident, Daimion has yet to find a steady groove on the court, but he’s on pace to get back to where he was in August, mentally and physically.

“Not all the way back to where I want to be but I’m definitely getting there,” Collins said during Kentucky’s pre-South Carolina press conference on Monday. “I’m getting better day by day. I am definitely getting back to where I want to be.”

Getting back into the game of basketball has helped Collins exponentially. He agreed that being able to work out and train with his teammates and coaches has been therapeutic lately. It helps keep his mind at ease and builds some much-needed confidence.

“It hasn’t been too hard,” Collins said of trying to focus on hoops. “Basketball is my outlet. So it hasn’t been too hard, just concentrating on that because it’s something that I like to do and want to do.”

While he’s still yet to have his “breakout” game this season, he’s feeling better with every minute he’s on the floor.

“It felt pretty good, just being out there being able to play,” Collins said about playing against Alabama over the weekend. “Knowing that I was out there playing hard, trying to help my team win even though it didn’t go the way it was supposed to. But it felt pretty good being out there.”

Collins played 15 minutes in Kentucky’s blowout loss to Alabama in Tuscaloosa, his most since clocking 16 against North Florida all the way back on Nov. 23. He finished his afternoon against the Crimson Tide with four points (2-3 FG), two rebounds, one steal, and one block. While it wasn’t the same type of outing he put together against Alabama last season (10 points and six rebounds in a win for UK), it was enough to build him up.

“My confidence is going up some more but that’s just what I’ve been doing on my own, just working out with the coaches and stuff like that,” Collins added. “Just go in the game, playing hard, doing what I need to do to try to help our team. I think with that, it’s helping my confidence go up a little more.”

Kentucky will surely need Collins to play at his highest possible level down the stretch of the season. The ‘Cats have struggled to begin SEC play and could use more of his energy, shot-blocking, rebounding, and rim-running abilities. The good news for everyone is he’s finding ways to live with this unexpected grief.