Kentucky coach John Calipari is glad Daimion Collins is coming back to Lexington for a few days before returning home for his father's funeral. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Sophomore forward Daimion Collins was not with the Kentucky basketball team Monday night when it beat Howard 95-63 to open the season and coach John Calipari doubts he’ll be with the team Friday when it plays Duquesne.
Collins’ father, Ben, passed away unexpectedly last week in Lexington not long after watching his son and teammates practice.
Daimion Collins returned to Texas to be with his mother and family after his father’s death.
“He is coming back tonight. He has a choice of staying at my house or staying at the lodge with the guys,” Calipari said after the game. “My guess is he’ll be with the guys and they’ll all greet him tonight.”
The Kentucky coach told Collins to talk as long as he needed before returning to the team but the Cats made sure Collins was part of the opening game. TJ Beisner, UK’s director of player development, called Collins on FaceTime for the players’ pregame entrance at Rupp Arena and player introductions.
Collins will be back in Texas for his father’s funeral service Saturday morning and Calipari said no words can change the grief the player is feeling.
“He needs to get back here for three or four days,” the Kentucky coach said. “Everybody grieves differently.”
Calipari thinks he needs to be around his teammates and the coach told his players to make sure they talked to Collins.
“If you both cry, you both cry,” Calipari said. “His dad was like his brother. They were really close. It has been rough for all the guys.”
“I think getting him in the gym, getting around the guys he’ll start that climb back. But it’s just awful. It’s nothing Ben did to himself and nothing that someone did to Ben. God just said, ‘It’s your time.’ And that can happen to any of us. But he was here with his son. He was on the phone with his wife (before passing). But that doesn’t make it any easier for the family.”
Calipari had the team at his house Sunday for dinner and a walk-through practice on his outdoor basketball court.
“I’m just trying to keep an eye on everybody because everybody will say they’re all right, but I just want to make sure we’re all together. They were at my house and then we went on the outdoor court and we walked through there,” Calipari said. “And Ellen gets mad if I don’t bring the guys over to the house. She’s like, ‘Where are the guys?’ She had brownies today. It was Cason’s (Wallace) birthday today so he had brownies. Did not share them.”
“But this is a unique and special group. And they’re competing for minutes, but they’re cheering for each other.”
