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Rob Dillingham and Family Frustrated at “Unfair” Rumors, Insists He Will Be at Kentucky

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UK Athletics

College basketball offseason is here, which means that there are plenty of rumors floating around. One of the more prominent rumors has been around top-10 prospect and Kentucky signee Rob Dillingham, claiming that he may not ever make it to campus due to personal reasons or academic issues.

However, Dillingham and his family have grown frustrated at the “unfair” rumors and hope to put them to rest. While he has declined all formal interview requests over the past several weeks, he informally spoke with The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker on Tuesday during the Overtime Elite (OTE) combine.

“He declined to speak on the record with The Athletic on Tuesday, too, but he did chat informally and decided to publicly put the rumors to rest.”

While the contents of that conversation are off the record, Dillingham smiled as he sported a blue shirt under his OTE jersey, one that read “KENTUCKY WILDCATS” in white lettering. Furthermore, Dillingham did go on to confirm that he is on track to graduate high school in May and enroll with the rest of Kentucky’s freshmen class in early June.

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Dilingham’s response confirmed what KY Insider’s Tristan Pharis has reported. While there were some valid concerns, the rumors were fueled by his unique high school path – playing for three programs – and his decommitment from NC State – after the school received NCAA violations.

Arguably the most entertaining player in the class, Kentucky fans will get an opportunity to watch Dillingham play with three other UK signees – Aaron Bradshaw, Justin Edwards, and DJ Wagner – at the Iverson Classic all-star game later this month, on April 29th.

As fan excitement grows with this freshman class, Dillingham’s excitement is growing as he gets closer to arriving on campus. In a recent interview, he called Kentucky “perfect”. When asked about what he is most excited for, “The culture, the fans. Also, the recruiting class I’m coming in with.”

Dillingham and the other freshmen will have an opportunity to represent Kentucky soon, as the program will represent Team USA in the Canadian event, GLBL Jam, this July.

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With this news, fans can rest assured that Dillingham will be in Lexington in just a few weeks, preparing to help Kentucky have a successful season.

BB Recruiting

Kentucky Earns Commitment From European Big Andrija Jelavic

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ABA League j.t.d./Dragana Stjepanovic

Earlier today, Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats received the commitment from Andrija Jelavic, a 6-foot-11 big from Croatia.

As first reported by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Jelavic is one of the most highly regarded European prospects that is taking his talent to the NCAA.

Soon to be 21 years old, Jelavic averaged 10.8 points per game on 60% shooting from the field to go along with 7.4 rebounds per game for Mega Superbet, the same club that NBA Champion and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic played for.

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As a shock to most, who were expecting Pope’s next commit to be a guard of some sorts, international players can now sign lucrative NIL deals. Kentucky, along with several of the elite colleges, are now in the European market. 

Jelavic, with shades of current European big men, can do just about everything on the court. He can shoot, dribble, pass, finish at the rim, etc. With a very relevant comparison, Jelavic plays almost perfectly in the replacement role of Andrew Carr. 

His commitment now makes him the fifth member of Pope’s additions this offseason, joining Kam Williams, Jaland Lowe, Mouhamed Dioubate and Jayden Quaintance. 

With a 7’2” wingspan, joining an already impressive Kentucky frontcourt, it’s safe to say for certain that this new team will not lack in that department. 

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Next year’s roster was loaded with talent already, but now with the addition of Jelavic, lots of questions are arising: Who will start? How many more players is Pope going to add? What will happen with the walk-ons? 

There’s plenty to think about for Pope and his staff before the season starts, but like he said back when he introduced himself to Big Blue Nation, “We’re here to win banners.” He’s going to make the moves he thinks will do just that for the Wildcats. 

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Four-Star Guard Acaden Lewis Suddenly Decommits from Kentucky

Amidst a recent wave of positive recruiting news for Kentucky, the surprising decommitment of Acaden Lewis is an unfortunate wrench.

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2025 four-star point guard prospect Acaden Lewis has decommited from Kentucky.
UK Athletics

In a shocking, late at night turn of events, four-star freshman Acaden Lewis has decommitted from Kentucky.

Lewis, a 6’3” point guard out of Washington, D.C. first committed to the blue and white in November of last year, following an in-person visit with Mark Pope in his hometown.

Since then, he’s made multiple appearances in Rupp Arena, been featured in photo shoots with his fellow incoming recruits, and spoken on multiple occasions about his excitement to join the team for the 2025-26’ season.

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To say this development is surprising would be a serious understatement.

Lewis released a statement following the announcement, “This was an incredibly difficult decision, but I have to do what’s best for my future,” he said. “Thank you to Coach Pope and the whole Kentucky staff for all they’ve done for me so far.”

While the loss of Lewis is certainly disappointing, there is still much to look forward to next season for Kentucky, who maintain one of the highest rated transfer classes in the nation – and it likely isn’t finished.

To that point, if any reason can be derived immediately for Lewis’ decommitment, it may be found in the same place that Mark Pope and staff will be going to look for answers: the transfer portal.

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Top 10 Transfer Prospect, Former Wildcat Recruit Jayden Quaintance Commits to Kentucky

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2024 five-star big man Jayden Quaintance has commmitted to play basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats
UK Athletics

Two days into the week and two booms for the Kentucky Wildcats as Jayden Quaintance announced his commitment to Kentucky on Tuesday morning.

If the Quaintance name sounds familiar, it should. He was originally committed to play for the Cats out of high school last season as a five-star recruit. While he was interested in staying at Kentucky following John Calipari’s departure, even meeting with Mark Pope, he elected to play for Arizona State.

In his one season with the Sun Devils, Quaintance averaged 9.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 2.6 BPG, and earned Big 12 All-Freshman and All-Defensive honors.

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The one concern for Quaintance is that he had surgery to repair a torn ACL, which could keep him out for the entire offseason and potentially into the season. That said, the expectation for a return is September, and at just 17 years old, there is so much untapped potential.

Get to know the newest Wildcat commit!

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