T E X A R K A N A M A G A Z I N E
school career as a McDonald’s High School All American, MaxPreps Player of the Year in the State of Texas and named to the Iverson Classic team among many other honors,” said Morgan Smith of Texarkana Gameday. “Daimion Collins is the best basketball player to ever come out of East Texas. I say that with respect to past players, but none have accomplished what Daimion has,” said Smith. “I can still remember the first time I saw Daimion play in 2019. I had never seen a high school player that could jump as high as he could. Every time I have ever seen him play, it was standing room only. Following Daimion’s career has truly been one of the most exciting things I’ve done since starting Gameday. You want to see all kids succeed and go live their dream. Daimion is definitely doing that. My son and I traveled to NYC to watch Kentucky play Duke in Madison Square Garden to start the season. Seeing Daimion’s face on a billboard in Times Square and all the people that were asking him for pictures and autographs was eye opening to how popular he has become. Watching Daimion play in
Madison Square Garden was definitely my standout moment. Coming from a small town to playing on the biggest stage in basketball was exciting to watch. I wish him nothing but the best,” said Smith. As a five-star prospect, Collins was highly recruited by teams across the nation. The recruiting process begins early and is intense for the entire family. “Whew! what a journey that was,” said Kimberly. “The recruiting process had its ups and downs; (it was) fun and crazy all at the same time.” Coming from a small town, the Collins family felt alone in their experience, and that meant navigating an unfamiliar system. “We didn’t have anyone to tell us what it was going to be like because no one in our area had been recruited for basketball like him that we knew. I mean, the college coaches had no clue there even was an Atlanta, Texas. It was a process that we had to take day by day. Being from a small town and not really knowing anyone in the basketball world, we had a hard time trusting just anyone to help us.” When the time came, it seemed everyone was eager to add Collins to their
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S P O R T S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T
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