Rob Dillingham says Kentucky commit Somto Cyril has "everything a center needs"

Kentucky freshman guard Robert Dillingham knows a thing or two about playing with Somto Cyril on the hardwood. The two were recently teammates on Overtime Elite’s Cold Hearts for the 2022-23 season before Dillingham made the jump to college. They developed a close relationship during their time together and that connection certainly didn’t hurt Kentucky’s chances in landing Cyril, who committed to the Wildcats in late June.

With that in mind, there’s no better person to break down Cyril’s game than Dillingham. They formed plenty of chemistry both on and off the court over the last year. One acting as the lead ball handler and the other locking down the paint — not a bad tag-team duo to have at the high school level.

So what should Kentucky fans expect out of Cyril, a four-star member of the 2024 recruiting class, once he arrives in Lexington next summer? According to Dillingham, a bruising paint presence who is going to make life difficult for anyone who dares step into his vicinity.

“I ain’t gonna lie, I love playing with Somto. He’s 6-10. He’s like a Baby Shaq honestly,” Dillingham told reporters on Friday. “Nobody really scores on him. If you can go in the paint, you’re scared to score on him because he really got like a 40-something-inch vertical. Every time you throw him the ball anywhere near the rim he’s gonna dunk the ball. And he’s super strong. Freak strong. So it’s just like, he’s got everything a center needs. Literally.”

One look at Cyril will confirm Dillingham’s brief scouting report. The native of Nigeria is arguably the strongest player in all of high school basketball. He doesn’t just move people around in the paint, he does so by force. With Dillingham running the show last season, Cyril averaged 8.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks for the Cold Hearts as his big-man counterpart.

Despite some rumors of a potential reclassification to 2023 for Cyril, who is already 18 years old, it’s not likely that the two former teammates link up again at Kentucky. Dillingham is a projected 2024 NBA Draft pick, after all. But the current ‘Cat still did his part in helping recruit Cyril to Lexington.

“Oh yeah. When he was on my visit, I was trying to get him every day,” Dillingham said. “Hopefully I played a role but I’m definitely glad he’s coming.”

Looking ahead to the 2023-24 season, having previous experience of playing alongside such a physically imposing big man in Cyril should only help Dillingham with his new frontcourt partners at Kentucky — even if none of them are as monstrous as Cyril.

“Definitely helped my game because when I get to the rim and they would cover my shot and they would think I’m about to shoot, Somto is right there to throw it to,” Dillingham said. “So it’s just way easier to be able to play with a big and if you miss layups it’s right there to him. It’s way more easy and it opens up everything because they have to guard more than just you.”

He won’t be throwing lobs or working in the pick-and-roll with Cyril this coming season, but the same rules will apply for Dillingham with his new center teammates at Kentucky such as Ugonna Onyenso, Aaron Bradshaw, and even stretch forward Tre Mitchell. Onyenso and Bradshaw might be considered better rim-running lob threats than Cyril, too.

Same concepts, just different personnel. In that regard, the transition for Dillingham from OTE to Kentucky shouldn’t be tough to navigate. It should also have the Big Blue Nation excited for what the future holds with Cyril in the fold.

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