Collins watching two top 2018 targets in Atlanta

The July evaluation period has opened and Chris Collins is watching two of the targets he would like to land for his Class of 2018.

Collins is in Atlanta at the Under Armour Association Finals, where some of the best players in the country have gathered, looking to add to a class that already includes four-star point guard Jordan Lathon and four-star forward Pete Nance.

As Rivals Eric Bossi reported, Collins spent the first two days of the “live period” watching Rivals150 wings Saddiq Bey and Miller Kopp, along with several other college coaches. Kopp, Bey and Talen Horton-Tucker are the three prospects the Wildcats are aggressively pursuing for their final two spots.

So what did Collins see from Bey and Kopp the last two days?

On Wednesday, the four-star, 6-foot-6 Bey collected 16 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 turnovers in DC Premier’s 78-73 win over the Atlanta Express. He was an impressive 6-for-9 from the floor, including 3-for-4 on 3-pointers, in 30 minutes.

The No. 100 player in the nation followed that up on Thursday with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 turnovers and a block in a 65-60 win over Team Rio, and 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 1 block in a 66-46 loss to the Florida Vipers. Bey shot 7-for-14 overall and 4-for-9 from beyond the arc in those two games.

Kopp got off to a blistering start on Wednesday, hitting all six of his shots from the floor for 18 points, to go along with 4 rebounds, 1 block and 2 turnovers in the Houston Defenders’ 74-70 win over the DC Blue Devils.

The three-star prospect, ranked 127th in the country, then had a clunker, turning the ball over six times while posting 18 points, 4 rebounds and 1 steal in a 78-57 loss to Team Thad. However, Kopp bounced back in a big way in the second game of the day, scoring a game-high 30 points on 12-of-15 shooting, to lead the Defenders to a 74-65 win over the Philly Pride. He also added 2 rebounds and a steal.