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Five Star Recruit, Robert Dillingham, Silently Committed to Kentucky Prior to His Commitment to N.C. State

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Photo via Instagram: @robwitdashifts

Top-10 guard of the 2023 class, Robert Dillingham, announced today that he would be staying in his home state of North Carolina to play for the N.C. State Wolfpack.

However, according to Joe Tipton of On3 Sports, it appears that this is after a silent commitment he made to Kentucky during his visit in late October. So what happened?

Easily Swayed

Dillingham’s recruitment has been, what you could call, “unique”. Since January, he has been considered a lock for North Carolina, Memphis, and then Kentucky before ultimately choosing N.C. State. With such big swings in his recruitment, it seems that Dillingham was easily swayed.

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This was true all the way up to the last minute as Dillingham’s crystal ball predictions changed from 100% Kentucky to 100% N.C. State in the 24-48 hours prior to his commitment.

Family Drama, Kanye West, & Adidas

In October, Dillingham made the decision to leave North Carolina and attend Kanye West’s Donda Academy. According to multiple and since confirmed reports, he made the move without his father’s permission.

His father, Donald Dillingham, claims that he did not give his son permission for the move and that the school paid off his mother in order to gain Robert’s attendance. Donald also claims he spoke to Shayla Scott, the Director of Athletics and Academics at the Donda Academy, who told Donald that they were instructed not to speak to him.

Not to mention, Kanye West’s Donda Academy is sponsored by Adidas and N.C. State is an Adidas school. Leading some to believe there may be a lucrative connection there.

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Conclusion

In addition to potential eligibility issues, some people believe that even with his commitment, Dillingham will never suit up for N.C. State and will opt to go the G-League Ignite or overseas route. However, if Dillingham does end up playing for N.C. State, he would only be the third top-10 recruit in program history, the other two being Dennis Smith Jr. and C.J. Leslie.

While he is talented, with the clouds around Dillingham’s recruitment, it appears that Kentucky may have dodged a bullet. With Cal and company’s track record in similar recruitments, they have my trust. With Kentucky in good position for many targets in the 2023 class, including No. 1 DJ Wagner, this isn’t a big loss.

While Dillingham’s recruitment has been cloudy and he didn’t choose the Cats, I wish him all the success in his future.

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BB Recruiting

Kentucky Has Contacted Nation’s Leading Scorer, Four-Star Transfer Jaron Pierre Who Is “Definitely” Interested in the Cats

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Jacksonville State transfer Jaron Pierre has been contacted by Kentucky.
Jacksonville State Athletics

There are more than a thousand players in the transfer portal, meaning names are flying left and right. As of April 1st, Kentucky has one commitment in Kam Williams (Tulane), and is projected to land top 25 transfer Magoon Gwath (San Diego State).

That said, the Kentucky staff has been in contact with more than a dozen players, and there is another notable player to add to that list.

KY Insider can report that Kentucky has contacted Jaron Pierre from Jacksonville State. Pierre is currently a four-star transfer prospect and ranked as the 34th ranked prospect in 247Sports‘ transfer portal rankings.

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At Jacksonville State last season, Pierre scored more points than anyone else in college basketball (777 points), averaging 21.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while shooting 38.2% from 3-point range (9.0 attempts per game). He scored 30 points or more in six games, and only had one game where he did not score in double digits. His impressive play earned him Conference USA Player of the Year honors.

Pierre also had prior stops at Southern Miss and Wichita State, where he spent two years at each school, and will be going into his sixth season of college basketball. Pierre has also declared for the NBA Draft, but is not currently projected on any mock drafts.

While still early in his recruitment, Pierre tells KY Insider that he is “definitely” interested in Kentucky, but no Zoom meeting or visit has been scheduled.

“I love it Big Blue Nation,” Pierre said of the Kentucky program. He also really liked what Mark Pope was able to do in his first season in Lexington. “He was able to pick up right where it left off.”

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The level of competition is always a question when evaluating a mid-major talent, but Pierre’s athleticism jumps off the page and a 38.2% clip from three on nine attempts per game is nothing to slight at.

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BB Recruiting

Kentucky Receives First Transfer Commitment From Top 25 Prospect, “Not Many People Get Opportunities Like This”

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Kentucky transfer Kam Williams prepares to shoot.

While all the attention is on Kentucky’s matchup with Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen, the transfer portal officially opened on Monday and the staff has been hard at work.

Already tossing a wide net, reaching out to nearly a dozen guys in the past few days, the Cats have reeled in their first commitment from Top 25 ranked (247Sports), four-star transfer Kam Williams from Tulane.

With a 6-8, 190-pound frame, Williams has good size. What caught the staff’s eye is his ELITE shooting ability, shooting better than 41 percent this past season and that includes 17 threes made beyond 25 feet. He excels best in catch-and-shoot situations, where he ranks in the 94th percentile.

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Williams received interest from many schools in addition to Kentucky, such as Florida, Louisville, and St. John’s among others. Why did Williams commit to Kentucky so quickly?

“Not many people get opportunities like this, so I wanted to pull the trigger fast,” Williams told ESPN. “More people are waiting to fill that spot, so I had to take advantage.”

“My dream is to play in the NBA. Kentucky’s culture and background shows that they care about their players, especially developing them into the best players they can be.”

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Kentucky Named a Finalist for Five Star, Top 5 NBA Prospect Nate Ament

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2025 top five prospect Nate Ament on his visit to Kentucky.
UK Athletics

Mark Pope has received three top-35 commitments in his first high school recruiting class, including two high 4-star commits in Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno.

However, his first top-10 prospect still eludes him after missing out on Caleb Wilson last month… at least for now.

Over the last few weeks, Pope and his staff have focused heavily on top-five prospect Nate Ament.

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Ament, the second-ranked power forward in the 2025 class, cut his list down to five schools earlier this week: Duke, Louisville, Tennessee, Arkansas, and the Kentucky Wildcats.

The 6-foot-9 prospect has visited each of them except Arkansas over the last five months, with a decision expected in the next month or so. Where does each program stand?

According to Joe Tipton of On3, Louisville and Duke have “positioned themselves” the best in this recruitment, giving Pat Kesley and the Cardinals a slight lead. However, there is still time, and one thing that could shake things up the most is NIL, reported to be one of Ament’s biggest priorities.

Elsewhere at On3, Jamie Shaw did his own update, where he said this could be down to a Kentucky vs. Louisville battle.

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“Speaking with sources at this point in time it does sound like there is a split room around Nate Ament with Duke, Louisville, and Kentucky. With the intel I am currently getting, I would not be surprised to see this ultimately come down to a Kentucky and Louisville battle,” Shaw wrote, later adding that a decision could come in the next few weeks.

Ament is fresh off a visit to Kentucky, where he saw Rupp Arena at its best as the Wildcats completed the season sweep of Tennessee. That being his most recent visit, along with Pope visiting for Ament’s Senior night, the hope is it made a lasting impact, but will it be enough?

Time will tell, but the Cats are a legitimate contender to land Ament.

Be sure to read Shaw’s update here.

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Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

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