Collin Chandler’s Kentucky story is starting to heat up in a big way. After spending two years away from basketball on a Mormon mission, his freshman season was all about shaking off the rust. Even then, the 6-foot-5 guard showed plenty of flashes that hinted at what’s coming next. Now, going into his second season, Chandler looks ready to make that leap—and the Wildcats’ staff couldn’t be more excited.
Kentucky’s backcourt is stacked with talent this year, but Chandler’s improvements might make him one of the most valuable pieces off the bench—even behind standout point guard Jaland Lowe. According to head coach Mark Pope, eight weeks of summer practices have revealed a completely different player.
“He’s made an incredible jump,” Pope told Matt Norlander on the Eye on College Basketball Podcast. “One of his biggest goals this summer was improving his ball-handling—being able to get wherever he wants without the dribble slowing him down. He worked incredibly hard, and the progress is stunning.”
Defense? That’s another area where Chandler has taken off. Pope said the sophomore has built on last year’s progress to become a potential lockdown defender. “He’s got a chance to be elite on that end,” Pope said. “But it’s his competitiveness that really stands out. He can’t breathe if there’s nothing on the line. Every drill, every play, he goes at it like it’s for a championship. That edge is going to make a huge impact for us.”
Fans saw glimpses of what Chandler could do last season—like his breakout game against LSU, where he scored 11 points on 3-of-6 from deep while adding 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Combine those flashes with his improved ball-handling, relentless defense, and that never-stop motor, and it’s easy to see why Kentucky fans should be hyped.
Even CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein has Chandler on his Top 10 SEC Breakout Players list for 2025. If summer workouts are any indication, the guard who once needed time to shake off the rust might now be Kentucky’s X-factor.
