Rob Dillingham finishes strong in OTE regular season finale
It was a tale of two halves for Kentucky guard signee Rob Dillingham in his regular-season finale with Overtime Elite on Friday.
Battling against potential top-five draft picks Ausar and Amen Thompson, the future Wildcat knocked down just two of ten shots in the first quarter, showing off an erratic style of play that saw forced attempts, wide-open misses and even a blown layup in transition. He settled in a bit in the second quarter — or stopped taking bad shots, rather — closing out the half with five points on 2-12 shooting and 1-5 from three to go with three assists, three steals and two turnovers in 15:21.
To open the third quarter, Dillingham’s Cold Hearts squad found itself trailing by as many as 22 points. Rather than settling with a poor performance and blowout loss, though, the future Wildcat led his team on an absurd 25-5 run to cut the lead to just four with 41 seconds to go in the third quarter. And then in a back-and-forth affair in the fourth quarter, the two sides found themselves in a three-point contest with just nine seconds remaining in the game, a make from deep potentially leading to overtime.
The Cold Hearts couldn’t pull off the improbable upset, but it was a testament to just how impactful Dillingham can be when he’s playing at his best. And it’s not even that he exploded in the scoring column after an ice-cold start — he still finished just 5-20 shooting overall and 2-6 from three. Instead, the 6-foot-2 guard emerged as a controlled, instinctive playmaking threat, finishing the night with 12 points, six assists, three steals and two rebounds in the four-point loss.
Dillingham would reel defenders in with his advanced dribble moves before attacking for a paint touch. There, he would be in position for dump-offs to the post, kicks to the perimeter for catch-and-shoot looks or finishes for himself at the basket. And more often than not, he made the right decisions, playing off what the defenders gave him to great success. He looked the part of an elite lead guard capable of playing the one at the next level rather than an off-ball scorer.
The erratic play we saw in the first half will have to be kept in check in Lexington, especially playing alongside other elite recruits capable of taking games over themselves. He’s at his best when he’s able to rock out a bit dancing on the perimeter, but finding a balance in keeping it controlled will be key for John Calipari and his staff. There’s a lot of talent to unlock there, especially when he’s not the only scoring and playmaking threat on the team. But that also takes some accountability on Dillingham’s end to be comfortable deferring in situations he’s always been the guy. It’s easier said than done, but doable.
Off the floor, the future Wildcat is likable and easy-going, open to chopping it up about basketball and his future in Lexington. He has taken a step back with the media, though, shutting down interviews for the remainder of his time at Overtime Elite. His focus is on basketball and his team’s postseason run, coming up next for the Cold Hearts.
What Dillingham did discuss in a brief conversation with KSR before heading off for postgame treatment? He’s planning to arrive on campus in May, hoping to get to Lexington as soon as possible to begin training. More specifically, he’s excited to play alongside Kentucky’s star signees, believing he fits perfectly with DJ Wagner, Justin Edwards, Reed Sheppard and Aaron Bradshaw. He has big dreams and expectations for his top-ranked recruiting class.
The coolest moment? Dillingham says his first college basketball game ever was Kentucky’s home matchup vs. Kansas when the program introduced him at midcourt. That led to a standing ovation from Big Blue Nation, a moment he says he’ll remember forever. Never seen anything like it, he said.
And he’s excited to be a part of it in the coming months — now just three away.
First up, though, a postseason run with the Cold Hearts at Overtime Elite.
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