Men's Basketball
John Calipari Giving Rob Dillingham the “Ultimate Green Light”, With One Exception
Published
2 years agoon

Rob Dillingham comes to Kentucky as not just one of the best guards in the 2023 class, but also one of the most exciting players in high school basketball. Standing just 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, it’s not his size or physicality that impresses, but his skillset.
Within his small frame is one of the most creative ball handlers you will see, which he uses to make up for his lack of size. Combine his elite handles with his speed and his ability to quickly change paces, and Dillingham can create space at will. When he has space, he can score from all three levels.
For these reasons, he has been compared to the likes of NBA players like Darius Garland and Brandon Jennings, and even reminds Allen Iverson of himself. As Tyler Herro would say, Dillingham is a walking”bucket”.
Cool moments this weekend between Allen Iverson and Rob Dillingham/DJ Wagner at the Iverson Classic.
To Dilly: “You move in a Allen Iverson pace… Y’all comin! What Kentucky getting ready to be? With you & that killa (Wagner)?”
To Wagner: “You're the best… show the world.” pic.twitter.com/mv6S2e95dH— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) May 1, 2023
With his electric play, many want to see what Dillingham is capable of at Kentucky, and that includes John Calipari who is giving him the “ultimate green light”, with one exception.
“Got to try to figure out Rob. He needs some space to let himself go some and I’m gonna let him,” Calipari said. “You just can’t take bad shots. When you have the ultimate green light to go play with the ball and shoot, you can’t take bad shots. You can’t just because I’m letting you — just go get a good one. I thought he did some good stuff today.”
John Calipari says he is giving Rob Dillingham the "ultimate green light", with one condition.
"He needs some space to let himself go some and I'm gonna let him… When you have the ultimate green light to go play with the ball and shoot, you can't take bad shots."— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) July 12, 2023
In two games at GLOBL JAM, Dillingham hasn’t shot the ball the best but has put his elite handles on display and has arguably been the best playmaker on the team. On Thursday’s game, he recorded 9 assists and just one turnover in just 19 minutes.
It will interesting to watch how the staff coaches Dillingham to be more efficient within his style of play, but one thing is for sure, he is going to entertaining to watch.
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Men's Basketball
CBS Sports: Kentucky Has “ended pursuits” in Transfer Portal Following Aberdeen Commitment
In the wake of yet another addition to Kentucky’s incoming roster, CBS Sports reports that Coach Pope and staff may have closed the portal.
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Published
2 days agoon
April 23, 2025Following another flurry of transfer portal additions in his second year at the helm, it appears that Mark Pope and staff are satisfied with their sophomore haul. The portal in Lexington may be officially closed for the 2025-26′ season.
Right after Kentucky received the surprising commitment of Denzel Aberdeen, Matt Norlander, an analyst for CBS Sports, posted the following on X (Twitter):
“Barring any portal defections, Kentucky has ended its pursuits of all other portal targets, sources told CBS Sports. Getting Aberdeen today [April 21] meant they’ve moved off Andrej Stojakovic, Rylan Griffen, etc. Otega Oweh going through pre-draft process-but I expect him back in Lex”.
With the addition of Aberdeen, the Wildcats’ roster ballooned to near-max capacity for next season. Seeing two of the team’s walk-on players, Grant Darbyshire and Walker Horn, enter the transfer portal seemed to all but confirm this suspicion, too.
Losing One of Our Own
That is, until last night. With less than two hours remaining for players to do so, Travis Perry shocked much of the Big Blue Nation by throwing his name into the hat. This came just weeks after a string of comments from the Kentucky-native point guard seemed to confirm his return for a sophomore season.
Though all the same, given Kentucky’s bulk of back-court additions this offseason, his departure makes sense for the sake of playing time alone. The Lyon King will be sorely missed.
So while the Kentucky staff may still be very much content with their current roster, with hundreds of players remaining in the portal and an unexpected spot on the roster coming open, another grab is far from out of the question.
Who Coach Pope and company would go after is entirely unclear, as that potential player would likely have to accept a minimized role off the bench for a stretch of his time in Lexington. If anything, the logical replacement would be a direct fill-in at the PG2/PG3 spot in Perry’s absence.
Either way, the ‘Cats are set to come into next season as one of the most exciting teams in college basketball with a ceiling far out of view. Mark Pope continues to prove his prowess in the transfer market, too, easing the worries of Wildcats fans and closing the door on many supposed “insiders” who’ve spent the last month suggesting otherwise.
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The transfer portal has been kind to Kentucky in the Mark Pope era. Last season, the staff was able to build a Sweet Sixteen roster almost exclusively from the portal, and this offseason have put together a top-five portal class.
While the portal giveth, it also taketh. Just hours before the deadline to enter, Kentucky native and fan favorite Travis Perry has entered the transfer portal, per multiple reports.
Coming to Kentucky as the state’s all-time high-school scoring record holder, fans were excited to see how his career would unfold in Lexington.
Not expecting to play much freshman, he was called upon due to injuries and played some key minutes for the Wildcats into the postseason. He averaged 2.7 PPG and .6 APG on 32% shooting from three.
Looking at the depth chart, it was difficult to see where Perry would get much playing time next season, leading to his decision to enter the portal.
Perry has yet to release an official statement, but all the best to him in his future.
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Men's Basketball
Top Transfer Guard Denzel Aberdeen Commits to Kentucky
Former Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen commits to Kentucky, likely closing the transfer portal for next year’s roster.
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Published
3 days agoon
April 22, 2025Another day, another “boom.” Denzel Aberdeen has officially committed to Kentucky for the 2025-26’ season.
A soon-to-be senior guard fresh off his championship win with Florida, Aberdeen spent his first three years of eligibility in Gainesville. Now, following an apparent conflict in the Gators’ rotation, he’s swapped teams in the southeast.
At 6 ‘5”, 190, Aberdeen spent much of this past season beating defenders off the dribble and making them pay at the rim. His speed and size made him a nightmare off the bench for opposing teams, and for the short stretch of play that he started during the year, Florida didn’t miss a beat.
In 19 minutes, Aberdeen averaged 8 points, two rebounds and one assist per game. His consistent contribution to the Gators’ title run made him one of the most coveted transfers in the cycle this season, and given his big blue commitment just days after entering the portal, Mark Pope clearly wasted no time in Kentucky’s pursuit.
Aberdeen slots in as yet another addition to what was already one of the strongest portal classes going into next season. His SEC experience and combo-guard intangibles make Aberdeen one of the most exciting portal players to come through Lexington in a long while, reinforcing Kentucky’s back court to what may be the final degree.
Whether or not Mark Pope is officially done for next season, nobody is sure, but this commitment only further cements the fact that he knows exactly what he’s doing. Just like the fanbase behind him, Coach Pope seems to never sleep.
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