Rob Dillingham snubbed from McDonald's All-American Game

Kentucky signee Rob Dillingham will not participate in the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game, sources tell KSR.

And it won’t be due to effort or interest on the future Wildcat’s side of things — his high school, Overtime Elite, tried on his behalf. OTE’s nomination, though, was denied by the MCDAAG selection committee after being declared ineligible for participation.

Dillingham, along with other OTE players — Kanaan Carlyle and Trey Parker were also nominated by the school — do not meet the criteria for eligibility.

Those criteria, admittedly a moving target designed to exclude programs like OTE, include:

• Has played in 50% of their senior season
• Attends and participates in a high school program that has ONE eligible varsity team and is a member of a high school athletic conference or league.
• Eligible to participate under the rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) or other comparable organization.
• Deemed eligible to participate under their high school and governing league policies.
• Academically eligible to participate with their high school team based on their school and league requirements.
• Nominees cannot hold a professional status as a basketball player or receive payment/inducements for participation in basketball games/events.

Dillingham and the OTE program fall short — in the eyes of the McDonald’s All-American Selection Committee, at least — in the varsity team category. Had Overtime Elite turned, say, the Cold Hearts — Dillingham’s squad — into its own high school program taking their own online classes (not the college-approved coursework they already do in person), separating them from the rest of the program, Dillingham and his teammates would have qualified.

Unfortunately, though, that’s not the case, leaving arguably the No. 1 point guard in high school basketball off the McDonald’s All-American Game nominee list due to a technicality. Had he still been at Donda Academy, a program met with public academic concerns, he would have been eligible.

This has nothing to do with his future eligibility at Kentucky — he's been cleared for college at OTE, sources tell KSR

Just not eligible for McDonald's All-American Game at OTE

— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) January 11, 2023

It should also be noted that Dillingham is thriving academically and has embraced the OTE program both on and off the floor. And just as importantly, the Kentucky basketball program is pleased with his growth in Atlanta and how he’s preparing for life in Lexington.

And again, this has no bearing on his college eligibility at Kentucky, as he’s already been cleared academically for the 2023-24 season, sources tell KSR.

This is solely a McDonald’s All-American Selection Committee issue and its requirements for nomination.

Dillingham joins five-star prospects DJ Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw and Justin Edwards, along with four-star guard Reed Sheppard in Kentucky’s 2023 signing class. The latter four signees will be eligible to participate at the McDAAG. Dillingham, unfortunately, is not.