Connect with us

Men's Basketball

John Calipari Alleges Other Schools Tried To Steal Rob Dillingham This Summer

Published

on

Kentucky Wildcat guard Rob Dillingham at the annual Blue-White scrimmage.
UK Athletics | Chet White

When Kentucky left Canada this summer with a GLOBL JAM gold medal and a 4-0 record, there was a lot of good to take away. However, freshman guard Rob Dillingham’s inconsistency was one of the negatives. While he had his moments, he struggled overall, averaging just 5.5 points and 3.5 assists on 31 percent shooting.

Why? “He struggled because it was physically — they were men,” John Calipari said at media day. When he first arrived at Kentucky, Dillingham came in at 6-foot-1, 155 pounds, so it’s easy to see why the physicality affected him. When the team returned to Lexington, Dillingham returned motivated and put in some serious work in the weight room with strength coach Brady Welsh, gaining 24 pounds.

That work has paid off and it is noticeable on the court, impressing 52 NBA scouts at Kentucky’s Pro Day and scoring 40 points in the annual Blue-White scrimmage. “He is so much better… All of a sudden, you are watching him create the contact and playing through bumps,” Calipari said.

Advertisement

That said, it wasn’t easy and there were even schools trying to take advantage of the situation. According to Calipari, schools contacted Dillingham this summer in an effort to get him to leave Kentucky and join their program. “You think he got phone calls when we came back? Why don’t you come with us — you don’t think that happened?” Calipari said.

Per NCAA rules, this is considered illegal as he was already enrolled at Kentucky.

Yet, Dillingham stuck with it and is in a promising spot as Kentucky is just over a week away from their season opener. “That’s what this is about — it isn’t easy,” Calipari said. “This stuff is hard and you have other guys that can play and you have to play with them. And you have to create for them as they create for you. I’m proud of him. He’s done good stuff.”

Advertisement

Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

Published

on

Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
IMAGN

The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

Advertisement

“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Men's Basketball

Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

Published

on

Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
IMAGN

John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

Advertisement

“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Men's Basketball

ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

Published

on

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
ESPN

Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

Advertisement

“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Trending