No. 3 recruit Christian Collins mum on recruitment, but "(learned) a lot" from Mark Pope at USA U19 Training Camp

There’s not much new to report on Christian Collins and his recruitment. As an unknown and unranked recruit playing JV basketball a few short years ago, the 6-8 wing out of St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA) exploded this past high school season and now sits at No. 3 overall in the 2026 On3 Industry Rankings. That’s what led to a wild fall, winter and early spring, racking up offers from the likes of Kansas, Oregon, Alabama, UCLA, Louisville, Arizona, Houston, Baylor, Duke, and yes, Kentucky.

As the schools have piled up with every big-name coach reaching out, he’s prioritized finding peace within that chaos.

“It’s been a lot. It’s been a lot of good, I’ve received a lot of hate — a whole bunch of things,” he told KSR at USA U19 Training Camp in Colorado Springs last week. “I’m really learning how to deal with it now and stay on top of it because a lot of this is really mental. Mental health is important, so I’m just learning how to deal with it mentally. Once I figure that out, I’ll be straight. That’ll be really good.”

That’s why he’s been intentional about how he’s releasing news publicly — the fewer the controversial headlines and eye-popping quotes, the more he can use his energy to improve and get to the bottom of the next steps in his journey.

How is his recruitment going?

“It’s going good, it’s going really good,” he said. “My mom really handles all of that, so I don’t really have much to say about that.”

Who is prioritizing him at this stage?

“All of them, every single one that I’ve been talking to,” Collins added. “For example, like USC, Arizona, Cal, Oregon, Texas, Duke and Kentucky. All of them.”

How about visits? Any of those finalized at this point?

“I haven’t planned any visits yet. I’ll take them probably during football season (this fall), that’d be a great experience. I’ve never really been to a college football game, so it’d be great to go and get that experience.”

Decision timeline?

“No I do not, not as of right now.”

Sticking to the script, no ammunition. Just the way he likes it.

He was happy to talk about his USA Basketball experience, though, one of 32 players invited to compete in Colorado Springs. It’s a prestigious honor and a personal first for the California native.

“It’s a great experience, this is my first real tryout. It’s my first time getting invited with all these great players, so it’s just a good opportunity and good experience trying to show everyone what I can do,” Collins told KSR. “Realizing that it’s not about scoring here, because everybody can score. It’s about what you can do off the ball like rebounding, passing, setting screens, rolling, communicating, stuff like that. Doing the little things.”

Mark Pope was actually his court coach at USA Training Camp, a chance for the five-star wing to see his hands-on instruction and for the Kentucky head coach to see what it’s like to work with Collins — a two-way street as both sides feel each other out.

That was a fun dynamic for the No. 3 recruit, who says he learned a lot from Pope.

Oh, and all of the other coaches in attendance. Gotta respect the consistency.

“It’s been great. He’s actually my coach here right now, so it’s a great experience having him coach us and learning a lot. We’re all learning a lot as a team,” Collins said. “We’re learning a lot from all of these great coaches — Arizona (coach Tommy Lloyd), he’s the head coach (of USA), and Alabama’s (Nate Oats) is on the side. Some other coaches are here, but learning from all of these great head coaches is great.”

How are things going with the Wildcats, to be specific? Any new developments there?

“(I talk to them) here and there. I talk to Jason Hart here and there,” he told KSR. “It’s been on and off. … (They’re recruiting me) on the wing, they’d have me on the wing running a lot of plays and bringing the ball up. Things like that, being very versatile. Whatever the coach needs me to do, I’ll do it. Whatever they need me to do, I’ll do it.”

That’s what the school he eventually chooses will be getting in his addition. He wants to be a leader and positive impact in the locker room, someone you can trust to throw out there at any position and make a difference.

Whatever hat you want him to wear, he’ll wear it.

“They’re gonna get someone with great positivity, someone who brings the team up and a leader,” he said. “Someone who plays hard, versatile — whatever they need me to do, I do it. They’re just going to get the whole package.”

No major updates to reveal quite yet in terms of his recruitment, but he does know what will be the final deciding factor when that time comes: home. If you can feel like family, there is a chance you’ll be signing a top-three recruit in the country.

“I want to go somewhere where it feels like a family, somewhere I know I can really develop,” Collins told KSR. “I want to be a one-and-done, but if that’s not the case, I want to feel at home wherever that is.”

We’ll see where things go with Kentucky — and when Collins is ready to make his next move in his recruitment.