Courtesy: Daimion Collins
TAMPA, Fla. - It's all hands on deck for USF now that March Madness is here.
"We all want to win and make history," said USF redshirt senior forward Daimion Collins.
No one wants to make history quite like big man Daimion Collins.
"We all have the will to win and make a name for ourselves," Collins said.
The six-foot-nine-inch forward made quite the name for himself going into college as a five-star recruit and a McDonald's All-American, but his favorite thing to be called — Ben's son.
"He had a major impact in my life," Collins said. "He was my best friend, so he had a real major impact on my life."
Courtesy: Daimion Collins
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The backstory:
Three-and-a-half years ago, Collins' best friend — his dad — died of an apparent heart attack at just 43 years old while the young basketball star was playing at Kentucky.
"We had a lot of good memories together," Collins said. "We did almost everything together."
Daimion's Dad was his everything, and he's still on his mind nonstop.
Courtesy: Daimion Collins
"Every day," Collins said.
Collins also knows USF head coach Bryan Hodgson is always with him every day. The two have known each other since Collins' high school playing days in Atlanta, TX, when Hodgson tried to recruit the five-star prospect to Alabama. His head coach could never replace his father, but Collins is grateful for the father-son-like bond the two have built over the past year at USF.
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What they're saying:
"Coach Hodgson is a real genuine guy," Collins said. "He always kept it honest with me. He has always been there. In low moments and high moments, he has always been someone I can trust, someone I can look up to. He played a real big part of my life."
Hodgson has no problem playing that part forever.
"Daimion is family," Hodgson said. "I treat him like a son. I am going to love him for the rest of his life. I am going to be there for the rest of his life. I think he has matured so much just in this year he has been with us. I can't even imagine what he felt or what he is even feeling right now, and I don't want to. His mental toughness and who he is as a young man and the way he approaches us every day based on what he has been through is so inspiring. I hope I can get to coach him for a couple more games."
While Collins may be inspiring others, it's his dad who will always inspire him. He has the phrase, "Long live my pops," tattooed on his left forearm.
"He is forever with me," Collins said. "He is always going to be there. He is my angel. I know he is always going to be there with me."
And he knows whenever he steps on the court, he'll be thinking of his angel.
"I feel like he would be proud," Collins said. "He would be proud of the person I have become today."
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What's next:
Collins and the No. 11 Bulls play Louisville on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. The game will be televised on TNT.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Mark Skol, Jr. during a press conference with Daimion Collins.