Collins inks with Kentucky

 Atlanta's Daimion Collins signs his letter of intent to the University of Kentucky during a ceremony Tuesday morning at Rabbs Gym in Atlanta, Texas. The Rabbs opened their season Tuesday night at Hallsville.
Atlanta's Daimion Collins signs his letter of intent to the University of Kentucky during a ceremony Tuesday morning at Rabbs Gym in Atlanta, Texas. The Rabbs opened their season Tuesday night at Hallsville.

ATLANTA, Texas - Daimion Collins' decision on where he would attend college was long-awaited from college basketball fans nationwide.

Collins elected to sign his national letter-of-intent during the early signing period, but chose to celebrate his accomplishments with his high school classmates at a ceremony in Rabbs Gym Tuesday morning.

"This is a great day for Daimion Collins," Atlanta head boys basketball coach Jarrod Boston said. "It's big for the city of Atlanta. In my 27 years that I've been here, we've had one Division 1 basketball player come through here. He was able to go to Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

"The fact that it's Kentucky, makes it a huge deal. We're super proud of him. We wish him nothing but the best."

photo

NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK - James Pruitt, with the signalization division with the City of Springdale, posts a U.S. Flag Tuesday, June 23, 2015 on Thompson Street in Springdale. The flags are being posted through out the city including on Thompson Street and Emma Avenue to help recognize the Rodeo of the Ozarks which takes place July 1-4 in Springdale.

Collins is a consensus 5-star recruit and his ranked Top-15 nationally across all high school basketball recruiting platforms.

"Today means a lot, being able to further my dreams and play at a university with a rich basketball tradition such as Kentucky," Collins said. "I feels good to know I'm making the people around here proud, doing what I'm able to do on the basketball court.

"I know everyone in this community is with my 110 percent, so that feels real good."

The Rabbs open their season tonight, traveling to Hallsville.

Last season, Collins led the Rabbs to a district championship and a 30-5 overall record for the season.

"We start tonight," Boston said. "I hope everyone can stay focused with all the festivities going on with our game tonight.

"We're anxious to get started and we're hoping the season can continue to go on with everything that's going on right now. We feel we're going to have a pretty good team, so I'm ready to see those guys get on the floor together."

Collins echoed his coach's readiness to begin their regular season.

"Our ultimate goal as a team is to win state," Collins said. "It's something that's never been done here before. For me to make a three-time MVP this season hopefully, I need to lead my team to our goals.

"We're going to come to practice and work hard everyday. Hopefully, we can put forth the effort to come out with the same results, if not better this season."

Upcoming Events