Matt Jones comments on Dilly

qwesley

Heisman
Feb 5, 2003
17,606
23,461
0
I don't get the Nowell or Ulis comps or comments. Nowell is a very experienced 23 years old and very strong for his size. Weight doesn't tell you everything. And Ulis was as much of a unicorn as AD was for thin bigs. He had elite understanding of the game, was tough, and shot very well.

Dillingham has all the profile elements that we see not working at a high level....numerous schools, advisors, will want to show out in his one year, thin, questionable shooting ability.
 

WildcatNC

Heisman
Sep 20, 2004
9,675
18,019
113
Small guards just need to be able to do 2 things really. Take their man off the dribble and make shots at a respectable clip. If Rob can do those two he'll be fine and it seems like he can.
 

MadaboutBlue

All-Conference
Mar 12, 2017
2,004
2,057
96
We just got bounced by a 5’8, 160 pounder.
We did indeed! We got bounced by a 5'8, 160 pounder who by everyone's accounting was a student of the game, who spent hours in the film room so he could not only learn his opponents tendencies, but also he teammates tendencies to he could be as effective as possible in delivering them the ball. A 5'8 160 pounder that was by all accounts, highly motivated to win for his University, as opposed to measuring his success by just how brief a time he could spend in Lexington.

If Dilly is that kind of player-than welcome aboard! If he's just another kid blowing through town to get out of here as fast as possible, playing for the name on the back of the Jersey as opposed to the back, then who cares?
 

JRS_SC

All-Conference
Jan 2, 2003
2,104
1,462
98
That’s good news, but I'm trying to figure out how a 170lb guard is going to survive in the SEC and NCAAT.

Who knows, maybe his slender size paired with his quickness and ball handling, will give him an advantage.
That mean Dilly weighs 10 lbs more than Allen Iverson.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CELTICAT

bnewt

Heisman
May 29, 2001
8,853
11,022
113
I for one hope that he is able to play
A quick, decent shooting point guard has been lacking for many years
 

502 Wildcat

Heisman
Sep 11, 2007
22,310
24,115
113
That’s good news, but I'm trying to figure out how a 170lb guard is going to survive in the SEC and NCAAT.

Who knows, maybe his slender size paired with his quickness and ball handling, will give him an advantage.

Assuming he does make it here: He will make some gains once he starts in the UK S&C / Nutrition program.

He’s also super quick and skilled. Smaller guards than him have had success in the SEC.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CatPatrick13

bnewt

Heisman
May 29, 2001
8,853
11,022
113
Agree. I was a huge Livingston fan and wanted him back very much. So sick of these guys who leave for NBA who obviously aren't anywhere close to being ready. And, you are so right, he was given tons of playing time at his desired position so what would he be so upset about if he chooses to transfer instead of staying in the draft. Makes no sense, unless he just fears the incoming freshmen so much.
all of these high profile recruits have been pampered their entire basketball career
if something doesn't go their way, they don't know how to handle it
this is a prime example. no way he is NBA ready
can't shoot, can't handle the ball, not sure what he thinks he does well enough for the NBA
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cowtown Cat

tomrain

All-Conference
Feb 18, 2004
882
1,397
0
That’s good news, but I'm trying to figure out how a 170lb guard is going to survive in the SEC and NCAAT.

Who knows, maybe his slender size paired with his quickness and ball handling, will give him an advantage.
Tyler Ulis says hey!
 

Cowtown Cat

Heisman
Aug 23, 2015
24,232
55,145
100
all of these high profile recruits have been pampered their entire basketball career
if something doesn't go their way, they don't know how to handle it
this is a prime example. no way he is NBA ready
can't shoot, can't handle the ball, not sure what he thinks he does well enough for the NBA
Yeah, this whole deal with CL is absolutely baffling.
 

CELTICAT

Heisman
May 21, 2002
19,330
19,099
113
If he's just another kid blowing through town to get out of here as fast as possible, playing for the name on the back of the Jersey as opposed to the back, then who cares?

You care. That’s why you’re posting and why you’ll watch the games. You may threaten to not care, but your bluff is called and the secret is out. You care.
 

Jmeeks54thebest

All-American
Apr 18, 2009
6,867
9,733
0
is your wife gonna make you some eggs and coffee? I remember those I named were inside of top 10. I don't need to look that up.
You do need to look it up. And you need to quit acting like a know it all when you’ve been proven wrong. This information is free and available on this same site. So provide links if you think otherwise. Or just stop replying to this topic. Because you’re just digging your hole deeper.
 

AllBall

All-American
May 5, 2015
4,895
6,433
93
Layup game. Rob has it and it’s indicative of being a stud offensive player. If you don’t know what I mean by layup game just know that no player on last years team had it.
He's got a lil Kyrie to his game. I like how he creates space off the dribble and his layup game. We haven't had anyone who can consistently get their own shot besides Wheeler and he couldn't finish his signature.
Just having Wagner, Edwards, and Dilly on the perimeter will open up so many more opportunities. We'll be cookin if Bradshaw and a transfer portal guy can help stretch the floor.
Defense and shooting will be key. Need a couple 3 and D guys to bring in when the freshmen have lapses.
 

Shaudylo

Heisman
Apr 2, 2011
11,503
25,866
112
Dillingham and Wagner can most definitely play together .

Wagner wasn’t even the primary ball handler at Camden or in AAU

In AAU Rob played with Aden Holloway who also handles the ball a lot and they both did just fine together .
 

kyjeff1

Heisman
Sep 8, 2012
51,303
72,113
113
Idk our high ranked guards usually translate pretty well. Wallace was not the problem at all this year. I think the position we generally hype up that doesn’t translate is the 3. Boston, Whitney, Fletcher, and even poythress to an extent. They are normally athletic freaks that don’t have the handles and aren’t polished enough to score in college
We had plenty of pg's Cal totally underevaluated, some of them AFTER coaching them a full season: Harrow, Hagans (2 years), Wheeler (2 years), Greene and Askew.
We trusted Cal knew what he was looking at with those guys, turned out he was way off and he actually coached Wheeler and Hagans for a full season and STILL thought they were UK material.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Samurai Cat

kyjeff1

Heisman
Sep 8, 2012
51,303
72,113
113
Name a year we lost more then 5 games a season with 2 or more top 10 players ranked out of high school in the same class? Yet you like guys like CJ, Mintz, and Grady. Hmmm are you a troll or not know much?
Oh I don't know, how does 20/21 do for ya?
How about 2014?
 

kyjeff1

Heisman
Sep 8, 2012
51,303
72,113
113
So, are you saying Dillingham is at Fox's level?
Know who else was around that same size? Ryan Harrow.
Now, I think Dillingham could be very, very good, but I'm not going to just dive right in on the hype, these dudes need to prove it on the court
 

kyjeff1

Heisman
Sep 8, 2012
51,303
72,113
113
Cal has lost 10 or more games only 4 times in his 14 years at Kentucky.

And the vast majorities of his seasons have been freshman-led.

Duke was a 2 seed and went to the Final Four last year with 3 freshman starters.

But don't let facts get in the way of a good narrative.

Part of the issue these past 2 years (including last year when were were a 2-seed) was that we just didn't have the top-end talent that we needed to truly be a threat.

Give me this Freshman class with a senior Reeves and 2 high-ranking veteran transfers and let's rock and roll.

But yes, we'll still have Cal coaching so I have major doubts if he'll be willing to change his system, but the talent should not be the issue this year.
You'll learn eventually.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Samurai Cat

kyjeff1

Heisman
Sep 8, 2012
51,303
72,113
113
He’s a guy who can break down a defender so that’s good. I think he’s a great Cal PG honestly. Maybe his frame will be a detriment but we just got roasted by a dude who was 5 feet tall.
Yeah, but Nowell was a senior from Rucker park, Dillingham will be a freshman, that’s a big difference and I really think we should be careful with comparing this kid to guys like Fox, Nowell and Ulis (incredibly, all 3 of those names have been thrown out in this thread as guys that Dillingham COULD be, that’s just crazy).

I mean, it's pretty odd that after everytning we have seen the last few years that we still have fans falling for the hype. We are already doing it and I guarantee you by December we'll be talking about how these kids were overrated.

Remember who the coach is and he's already talking about putting Bradshaw at the 3.
 
  • Like
Reactions: *Fox2Monk*

kyjeff1

Heisman
Sep 8, 2012
51,303
72,113
113
Tyler Ulis figured it out.
Devin Askew didn’t.
We can play this game all day.

And y'all need to stop with comparing Dillingham to the absolute best players that have played here. Just stop, Dillingham is not Tyler Ulis, Fox or Nowell from Kansas state. My God, people.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Samurai Cat

kyjeff1

Heisman
Sep 8, 2012
51,303
72,113
113
I get your point and also get frustrated that Cal brings in undersized guys so frequently, but Kentucky just got bounced from the tournament by a member of the Lollipop Guild.
Nowell was a senior, Dillingham wont be a senior.

Kansas State spread the court with effective outside shooting, we have Cal.
 

bluedog79

All-American
Mar 4, 2008
6,015
5,290
0
Dilly? That's what they call this guy?

🧐
Now if we just find a Dally we will have the ultimate Calipari backcourt eva, eva eva...?

Dilly and Dally are coming for youuuuuuu punks! Lol
 

kyjeff1

Heisman
Sep 8, 2012
51,303
72,113
113
I don't get the Nowell or Ulis comps or comments. Nowell is a very experienced 23 years old and very strong for his size. Weight doesn't tell you everything. And Ulis was as much of a unicorn as AD was for thin bigs. He had elite understanding of the game, was tough, and shot very well.

Dillingham has all the profile elements that we see not working at a high level....numerous schools, advisors, will want to show out in his one year, thin, questionable shooting ability.
Good post.

It’s incredible to me how so many of our fans keep getting kicked in the face every year by the over-hype and they just keep coming back for more.

Cal is not the same coach he was in 2009-2017, that has to be factored in, but the biggest thing is, the game is so much mote physical now, Cal is broken and in order for a pg to thrive, you have to spread the court, Cal doesn't know how to do that.

And these guys need to stop comparing a hs kid to Ulis, Fox and feeaking Nowell, that’s just crazy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: entropy13

MadaboutBlue

All-Conference
Mar 12, 2017
2,004
2,057
96
You care. That’s why you’re posting and why you’ll watch the games. You may threaten to not care, but your bluff is called and the secret is out. You care
Of course I care. By the same token, I care enough that i'm ready for a culture change in the program.

My point is comparing the two players solely because of their size is hardly a fair measurement of what we can expect at UK. "Who cares" is just my way of saying I'll reserve judgement on a smalllish, young, player until I see his commitment to the name on the front of the jersey!
 

Padsfs07

All-Conference
Jan 19, 2013
3,852
3,650
108
So, are you saying Dillingham is at Fox's level?
Know who else was around that same size? Ryan Harrow.
Now, I think Dillingham could be very, very good, but I'm not going to just dive right in on the hype, these dudes need to prove it on the court

Dillingham is probably closer to Fox than Harrow. Dillingham is ranked 9th in the HS composite rankings. Fox was 6th (Monk was 11th) Harrow was 22nd, but left after his freshman year at NC State. Guys in that range are a lot more hit or miss than the top 10, although the top 10 has been pretty sketchy since 2020. Dillingham looks a lot more like Fox offensively as well.
 

kyjeff1

Heisman
Sep 8, 2012
51,303
72,113
113
Dillingham is probably closer to Fox than Harrow. Dillingham is ranked 9th in the HS composite rankings. Fox was 6th (Monk was 11th) Harrow was 22nd, but left after his freshman year at NC State. Guys in that range are a lot more hit or miss than the top 10, although the top 10 has been pretty sketchy since 2020. Dillingham looks a lot more like Fox offensively as well.
I hope you're right. My thing is, while a player might play similar to someone that had success, it always comes down to toughness and the 6" between their ears. This isn't easy.
 

Padsfs07

All-Conference
Jan 19, 2013
3,852
3,650
108
Are we comparing him to Iverson now too?

Updated list:
Nowell
Ulis
Fox
Kyrie Irving
Iverson

If someone says that a guy that size can't play in the SEC, a logical response would be to show players that have succeeded at that size.

Kyle Tucker also had an article about OTE, discussing their supplements and meals programs directly in reference to Dillingham, so I think he's grown a bit since these measurements came out. At 6'2, he said his plan was to get to 185 lbs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tomrain

KentuckyCat420

Heisman
Sep 16, 2006
39,063
28,929
72
Devin Askew didn’t.
We can play this game all day.

And y'all need to stop with comparing Dillingham to the absolute best players that have played here. Just stop, Dillingham is not Tyler Ulis, Fox or Nowell from Kansas state. My God, people.
Umm Devin Askew is 6’3.

My response was about small players still being able to thrive. Just like the folks who claimed Anthony Davis was too thin to produce right away.

I’ve compared Dillingham to a mix of Ryan Harrow and Marquis Teague so I’m thinking you have me confused with the wrong guy 🤔.

Not to mention, I’ve said many times I don’t believe Dillingham ever plays a game for UK.
 

Padsfs07

All-Conference
Jan 19, 2013
3,852
3,650
108
I hope you're right. My thing is, while a player might play similar to someone that had success, it always comes down to toughness and the 6" between their ears. This isn't easy.

I just don't think that weight would be the reason he would be unsuccessful.
 

chattanoogawildcat

All-American
Jan 21, 2005
17,470
7,703
0
In a Twitter space tonight, Jones said he talked to sources close to the program and the expectation is for Dilly to be at Kentucky next season, basically said sources shot down academic issue rumor and they weren’t sure why those rumors came out of nowhere. So there’s some good news for next seasons roster
Probably somebody on this very board made it up and the spread began.