WATCH: John Calipari watches Rob Dillingham work out at OTE

Earlier this month, John Calipari went to Atlanta to check in on five-star guard Rob Dillingham, who is spending the year at Overtime Elite. Normally, we hear about such visits and maybe get a photo on social media. OTE did BBN a solid and filmed the workout, including the moment Calipari stepped in to talk to Dillingham and his coach. If you crank up the volume, you can hear Cal praising the work Dillingham is putting in and giving him a little advice.

“What you just did, this is why you’re here. This is why I’m so ecstatic, one, he’s gaining weight. He was too skinny. He’s gaining weight but here’s what you’ve got to learn: his job is to make you uncomfortable. If you’re not uncomfortable, you’ve got to tell him, ‘Come on, man. Push me. Make me uncomfortable.’ You’ve got to know when you’re uncomfortable, how do I make this comfortable? His job is to make you uncomfortable but your job is to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Right now, when you get uncomfortable, you kind of fight. That’s the battle you’re going to have every day of your life if you want to be the level I think you’re going to be.”

Calipari also shared some thoughts on Dillingham with OTE on camera.

“Unbelievable feel for the game. Speed and quickness with the ball. Some guys are fast and quick but you put the ball in their hands and they’re not as fast and quick. He’s quick with the ball. Mentally, he’s got a quick twitch. If he sees something, it doesn’t have to register with him. He sees it and he reacts to it.”

Dillingham initially committed to NC State but reopened his recruitment in March. A few months later, he pledged to become a Kentucky Wildcat, signing his letter of intent in November. He is considered the No. 8 overall in the 2023 class in the On3 consensus, and the No. 2 combo guard behind fellow Kentucky signee DJ Wagner.

“We recruited him some,” Cal said of Dillingham. “He initially committed to NC State, which, I was — we moved on. And then they came back and said, you know what, he made a mistake and I went back. I loved his mom and the reason I was good coming back was I always thought she was a great lady and I wanted to be involved with her son. Leah’s been great and it’s been a good experience. His whole family, they care about him, they love on him, this is part of the growth of what he’s got to do.”

In six games this season at OTE, Dillingham is averaging 15.7 points, 4.8 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.3 steals. OTE’s season picks back up on January 6. You can watch Dillingham’s Cold Hearts squad play on Amazon Prime on Friday, Jan. 13 and Sat. Jan. 14.