John Calipari on Daimion Collins: "I think he becomes one of the best players in the country"

Daimion Collins was the raw, high-potential freshman many expected him to be in year one at Kentucky. He had his flashes of brilliance — he hit the double-figure scoring mark three times and racked up highlight dunks and blocks — but struggled to get off the bench the majority of the season. Taking the floor in just 27 of a total 34 games for the Wildcats, though, Collins played just 7.5 minutes per game, averaging 2.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per contest.

Rather than seeking more playing time through the transfer portal, the 6-foot-9 forward has decided to return to Kentucky. Travis Branham of 247Sports broke the news of Collins’ return for a sophomore season, the first domino to fall regarding transfer and draft decisions this offseason.

While John Calipari didn’t explicitly confirm Collins’ return, he did allude to it during his final radio show of the season Monday evening. When asked about the report, Calipari said he met with each of his players after Kentucky’s season ended last week and discussed future plans. Collins met with Calipari alongside his parents.

“I met with every player,” Calipari said. “There were two I couldn’t get ahold of — I think one went home and the other’s phone had broken — but I met with everybody. With Daimion, I actually met with Daimion and his mom and dad. Some of the kids have decisions to test the (draft) waters.

“My advice to a couple of them was, you need to test the waters, but let’s talk about what you’re looking for so that there’s a plan of where they are and what opportunities they’re looking for, which would make them leave or come back. So we had those talks.”

Of the players coming back, Calipari discussed their individual paths and how they continue to move forward at Kentucky. Collins’ path? Potential stardom in year two, emerging as “one of the best players in the country,” says Calipari.

“We had talks with guys that are coming back about where they need to go with this. What holds them back from being that guy?” Calipari said. “And so in Daimion’s case, look, I think he becomes one of the best players in the country. I think the things he does, normal players can’t do.”

Calipari praised Collins’ parents and the patience they had with the process, no matter how frustrating it was to watch their son stay seated on the bench. He said the same of Collins himself, who maintained a positive attitude from start to finish.

That patience will be met with great rewards in year two.

“His mom and dad were so good all year, because it had to be frustrating. Had to be frustrating,” Calipari said. “You know, I coached my son. He’s not playing, you get frustrated. You want them to play, but how they dealt with it and how they dealt with their son was unbelievable. And how he dealt with it. Every day, the kid had a smile. And I said, ‘You’ve got to get stronger. You’ve got to play more consistent. You’ve got to play like you’re a guard even though you’re 6-9, you can do both.’

“And I look at him as one of the cornerstones of what will be this team.”

Other draft decisions could impact others who may be deciding whether to stay or transfer. He singled out Oscar Tshiebwe, Shaedon Sharpe and TyTy Washington as the core trio with the biggest stay-or-go decisions to make in the coming weeks. Should one, two, or all three decide to return, you could see a domino effect of other players looking for a greater role elsewhere.

Not Collins, says Calipari. His role is locked in for next season.

“I mentioned some guys with Oscar (Tshiebwe) or Shaedon (Sharpe) or even TyTy (Washington). We don’t know,” Calipari said. “If I knew or they knew, they’d say it. We just don’t know yet. It could change where guys are, but not Daimion. I think he’s that four that can play that way and do some good stuff. He can do both. If we do play him at the five at all, it would be with five out, where you’re at the top of the key and you’re playing that way because of who he is.”

Calipari hopes the same for Bryce Hopkins, who also struggled to get off the bench during his freshman campaign. If he decides to stick around and trust the process, he could see a strong jump in year two, as well.

“Bryce got behind some guys who just were better than him at this point and he didn’t have the opportunity,” Calipari said. “He’s another one that you’ve got to come in, ‘Look, lose some weight. Let’s try that one. Let’s get more consistent shooting the ball. You drive and your pull-ups and your strength and your rebounding. Let’s get it to where you’re even more athletic than you are.’ Again, another great kid. He was crying after the game, which just about everybody was, and he didn’t even get in.”

Factor in Kentucky’s two-man recruiting class in 2022, and Calipari is confident in his team moving forward.

“This is a good group,” he said. “You’ve got Chris (Livingston) and Cason (Wallace) coming in. I’m feeling good about where we’re going.”