Skinz League Chronicles: The Lone-Star Standout

To find the essence of the Skinz League, you had to be court-side Wednesday night during an 8:30 showdown pitting the Young Gunz against Pink.

A local pro-am attraction that has taken flight amid the Oklahoma City not-so-quarantined summer, the Skinz League has hosted some of the city’s favorite hoops heroes and local legends -- Trae Young, Buddy Hield and others -- in intra-league matchups with former and current All-Americans, numerous pros and even notable high school blue chips.

The latest spectacle to the grassroots league was Daimion Collins Daimion Collins 6'8" | C Atlanta | 2021 State #21 Nation TX , whose introduction need-be spared to any fans of Texas basketball; Prep Hoops ranks Collins as the third-best prospect in the Lone-Star class of 2021 and 19th nationally.

The 6-foot-8-inch lanky forward appeared in his second game in a 64-59 Pink (4-1) victory against Young Gunz (1-4).

His Wednesday-night performance sent the gym so ablaze, in fact, that Cade Cunningham, whose appearance graced the three-tier bleachers accompanied by fellow Pokes Chris Harris Chris Harris 5'10" | PG Fort Bend Hightower | 2020 State TX Jr. and Rondel Walker Rondel Walker 6'2" | SG Putnam City West | 2020 State #120 Nation OK , was momentarily obscured by the slender 17-year old.

Collins, a starter on Team Griffin’s returning 2019 National Champion crew, has split time staying with Griffin program director Kellen McCoy and teammate Bijan Cortes Bijan Cortes 6'2" | PG Kingfisher | 2021 State #195 Nation OK -- another local favorite and Oklahoma-commit who blessed Skinz fans with a performance last week -- for participation in Griffin’s team training camps the past two weekends. 

Also a regular to the league, McCoy plays for Vetz and even earned M.V.P honors in the second week of the summer season.

It was McCoy, Collins said, who lobbed the idea of playing in the league.

"Coach Kellen, watching him play," Collins said, "I always thought it would be real cool to get out here and compete with the older guys."

And compete, he did.

Sharing the hard-wood with numerous college and former-college players, including Pink teammate and former Oklahoma-forward Ryan Spangler, it was Collins who stood out Wednesday night.

On one play in the second half, Collins elevated in the half-court for a powerful two-hander that sent spectators out of their seats.

But it was not enough for Collins.

Fishing to top his first dunk, Collins snuck behind the Young Gunz front-court on the ensuing possession before catching a swift pass near the block as each eye in the gym caught Collins, frozen in time. Even opposing players ceased play to a stand-still in half-surrender and half-reverence.

With only air separating himself from the rim, Collins leapt with the most earnest ferocity and determination most in the gym could have seen. Rising with the ball cradled on his fingertips and arm extended, he reached an apex that may have put him in danger of floating off into the night had the game been played outside.

Collins sat mid-air, captured by the iris of the Skinz hippocampus, as every body in the gym rose to their feet in fever pitch of admiring silence.

He decided, after some time, he was ready to come down.

With the once-straddled ball now securely fit into his mitt, Collins came down with a ferocity consistency -- maybe even eclipsing -- the power of his leap as he pounded the ball into the hoop parallel his face.

The backboard may still be shaking.

Even Taj Gray, another former Sooner who spent time with the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2000s’ close was astounded by the talents displayed by the 190-pound hooper.

"His ceiling is extremely high, man," Gray said, "I mean he’s long, athletic, skilled. . . the future’s bright for him.

"If he keeps going, he’ll definitely be in the NBA one day," Gray said.

"He brings everything that a team would need and a college would need at the next level," Team Griffin teammate Trey Alexander Trey Alexander 6'4" | SG Oklahoma City Heritage | 2021 State #55 Nation OK said. "That’s why I feel like he’s going to be so successful."

Alexander, Oklahoma’s top recruit who plays with Jumpman (5-0) and pioneered high-school-prospect appearances watched Collins from the Young Gunz’ bench. He could not help but think about how the Atlanta, Texas standout is benefitting Oklahoma City by playing at Skinz.

"It’s definitely showing everybody that Oklahoma isn’t what everybody thinks it is; a football state, that people ride horses on the streets and stuff like that," Alexander joked. "I feel like Oklahoma definitely getting put on the map by people coming out here and playing basketball and making Skinz a bigger deal."

Alexander added that he wants to see Skinz become a national attraction -- the new Drew, as founder Chris Skinner dubbed it, to be the Sooner-State version of the famed Drew League.

"It shows people the Oklahoma culture," Alexander said, "that it has a lot of things to bring to the country."

Griffin and Norman North assistant DJ Lemons, who played at the University of Central Oklahoma, said he thinks participating in Skinz will help Collins develop.

"Especially with COVID and him not getting a chance to play like he usually does over the summer," Lemons said, "I think it gives him a good chance to play against older competition, better competition to keep elevating his game to the next level."

"It’s a lot of competition playing up here against the pros," Collins admitted, "and the atmosphere is crazy because you aren’t thinking it would be this many people, but it really is."

Though a mutual benefit from both parties, local spectators should hope that Collins becomes a summer-time mainstay at Skinz.