Texas Tech basketball: Key recruiting targets to monitor this fall
Center Daimion Collins may remind Texas Tech basketball fans of a recent fan favorite.
While Murray has just one reportable offer, the opposite is true of the No. 2 player in Texas Daimion Collins. The Atlanta, Texas native is the No. 22 player in the nation and a five-star prospect who holds offers from Oklahoma, Kentucky, Texas, Georgia, Kansas, Oklahoma State, A&M, UCLA, and others.
At 6-foot-9 and with the ability to bounce off the floor to block almost any shot put up inside of 15 feet, the skinny center looks like a young Tariq Owens. We saw how lethal the Red Raider defense was with Owens as the backbone of the defense and one has to salivate at the idea of Collins filling a similar role in Lubbock.
"“Quite thin but has long arms and is quick off the floor as an explosive leaper,” writes Jerry Meyer of 247Sports. “Highly mobile with good hands. Finishes with strength around the rim and can score facing. Has the potential to greatly improve as a face-up player. Defensively, is a high-level shot blocker who can also move his feet on the perimeter. Can also rebound outside his area. Raw offensively in general but has great potential.”"
6’9” Daimion Collins is the best shot blocker in High School @TheCircuitHoops pic.twitter.com/xXJ6qmGALm
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) August 30, 2020
But Tech appears to have an uphill battle for this prospect. It is believed that OU has the inside track given that Collins plays club basketball for a team sponsored by former Sooner great Blake Griffin. Also on that team is Bijan Cortes, who is close with Collins and who is already committed to Oklahoma.
Another school that seems high on Collins’ list is Kentucky, which he has all over his Twitter feed. He picked up his offer from the Wildcats just this week and he has since been rather liberal with his praise of all things Kentucky.
Still, Tech seems to have a shot in this battle. The Red Raiders are just one of six programs 247Sports lists Collins as being “warm” towards. And if Beard can swoop in and land this dominant big man, it could be the closest we will get to seeing the next Tariq Owens in Lubbock.