Rob Dillingham reveals what has stood out at Kentucky

Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham has not been with the Wildcats for very long but he is already forming impressions and opinions about what he is seeing on the court. The elite 2023 prospect said one thing that has stood out to him is how the players are gelling with each other with a common goal in sight.

“Definitely just our team, all the players and how everyone meshes together,” Dillingham said. “Everyone expects us to clash because we got so much talent and I feel like everyone has the same goal. We’re going to win. So we all mesh together very well to all be stars.”

Dillingham arrived at Kentucky as part of one of the best recruiting classes for the Wildcats in recent memory. He was the No. 15 overall player in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

His first big road trip with the team is coming soon with Kentucky playing in the GLOBL JAM 2023 showcase in Toronto.

The North Carolina native said he thinks the experience is going to help him continue to form bonds with his teammates as they work towards their ultimate goal as a group of winning the NCAA title.

“I feel like, honestly, ‘cause we’re playing older dudes, it’s gonna help me gel with the team way more,” Dillingham said. “And honestly, even if we win or lose, it’s just like we’re playing older dudes, so it really just gives us a standing of where we’re at. We’ve been working for this whole month; we’ve just been grinding every day. So I feel like we’ll honestly do alright. But even if we don’t, it’s just the combination of the team because we’re playing grown men. So I feel like we’ll definitely learn each other even more.”

Kentucky hasn’t been the last team standing since 2012 when its historic team featuring Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the top two picks in the 2012 NBA Draft, finished the season with a 38–2 record.

The Wildcats have come close since then, most notably with the 2014-15 season when John Calipari brought in an excellent recruiting class, highlighted by future NBA All-Stars Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns. The team made it to the Final Four undefeated before being upset by Wisconsin.

That was the last time Kentucky has made it to the Final Four.