Rob Dillingham looking for new HS home following Donda fallout

Kentucky basketball commit Rob Dillingham is looking for a new home for his final high school season.

Donda Academy (CA), Kanye West’s prep school located in Simi Valley, has canceled its basketball season after the school shut its doors this week for the remainder of the 2022-23 school year. Dillingham, among other high-profile basketball recruits such as AJ Johnson and JJ Taylor, were set to star at Donda this winter.

The Doves were set to appear in events such as the City of Palms, Spalding Hoophall Classic and the Kentucky Play-By-Play Classic this season before the shutdown.

Donda’s founder, now known as Ye, has been in the news constantly in recent weeks, specifically for making anti-Semitic remarks on various platforms (among other controversies). He’s lost several major sponsorships in recent days, namely fashion brands Adidas, Balenciaga and Gap, the distributing companies for his Yeezy footwear and apparel.

Unfortunately for Donda Academy’s students and athletes, they must all find new schools in the middle of the academic year, including Dillingham.

The Kentucky Play-By-Play Classic was originally set to feature a head-to-head battle between Dillingham (Donda) and Reed Sheppard (North Laurel) on Sunday, Dec. 11. Instead, the event removed the Doves from the schedule — “Unfortunately, we cannot in good conscience host an organization founded and directed by Mr. West at our events,” they announced this week — and replaced them with Imhotep Charter (PA) featuring future Wildcat Justin Edwards. Tickets for the Play-By-Play Classic — scheduled for Dec. 11 at Freedom Hall in Louisville — can be purchased through the link here.

What’s next for Dillingham and his senior season? That remains to be seen — officially, at least. The early speculation, though, is that the future Wildcat could be taking his talents to Overtime Elite, where he would maintain his college eligibility while collecting significant NIL revenue.

A connection with the program is already there, as Dillingham participated in the inaugural OTE Opening Night last week, a six-team showcase event featuring the nation’s top prospects at the state-of-the-art Overtime Elite facility in Atlanta. The 6-foot-2 guard out of Charlotte, NC went for a game-high 36 points on 64.3% from the field, 62.5% from three and 81.3% from the line to go with five rebounds, four steals and three assists.

The future Wildcat’s highlights from the game have since gone viral, racking up nearly seven million views on Twitter.

Future UK guard Robert Dillingham went off and put a show last night:

36 points(64%)
3 assists

Showcased his quick and shifty handle. quick speed, shotmaking ability and some playmaking upside. Rob needs to be more consistent but he’s a top guard in the 2023 class pic.twitter.com/RZcsZm7eEJ

— Pistons Draft talk (@happypistonfan) October 21, 2022

Now, the future Wildcat is in the process of finding his next home to close out his high school career before taking his talents to Lexington. Will that be with Overtime Elite?