The names leap from the hardwood: Willie Naulls, Gail Goodrich, Marques Johnson, Paul Pierce, Baron Davis, Tyson Chandler, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, DeMar DeRozan, Jrue Vacation.
That’s a good pattern of the very best basketball gamers to return from Southland excessive colleges.
Rob Dillingham might be a part of them, with a outstanding asterisk. The exceptionally fast guard from Kentucky is predicted to be a lottery decide within the NBA draft Wednesday.
But even probably the most rabid followers of highschool hoops could possibly be excused for not recognizing Dillingham’s connection to the larger Los Angeles space. He’s not a neighborhood within the conventional sense, equivalent to Jared McCain — the Occasions Participant of the Yr in 2023 with Corona Centennial Excessive. McCain, who spent one yr at Duke, is predicted to be taken in the midst of the primary spherical.
However Dillingham?
He was the marquee participant on the Donda Academy, the short-lived basketball mill and Okay-12 non-public Christian college owned and operated by rapper Ye — previously Kanye West. Donda, named after Ye’s mom, opened within the fall of 2021 in Simi Valley, then moved to an industrial park in Chatsworth earlier than closing early in 2023.
Donda mother and father, college and workers have been required to signal a nondisclosure settlement and chorus from publicly discussing the varsity’s practices and every other particulars that weren’t public.
“Folks select to deliver their children to Donda Academy for a way of privateness,” Malik Yusef, a producer and longtime collaborator of Ye’s, instructed Rolling Stone in September 2022. “A way of care, a way of concern, a way of affection, an surroundings of well being, and an surroundings of wealth, an surroundings of studying, and placing God as a spotlight.”
Ye torpedoed the star-studded Donda Doves basketball workforce, nevertheless, after which your entire academy by making repeated antisemitic rants, the ultimate straw a podcast interview with MIT analysis scientist Lex Fridman wherein he made reckless and ridiculously false statements concerning the Holocaust, abortion and Jewish individuals.
His hate speech already had value him offers with expertise company CAA, style label Balenciaga and sportswear big Adidas. The podcast interview prompted a number of outstanding nationwide basketball showcases and tournaments to drop the Doves, who in brief order had their whole season schedule gutted.
The workforce disbanded and Dillingham, who already had dedicated to enroll at Kentucky within the fall of 2023, by no means performed in entrance of an L.A. crowd in a standard highschool fitness center and by no means studied in a standard highschool classroom.
Somewhat than switch to a different highschool, he opted to relocate to Atlanta and play for Time beyond regulation Elite, a quasi-professional operation for 16- to 20-year-olds that, based on the New York Occasions, “offers well being and incapacity insurance coverage and units apart $100,000 in school scholarship cash for every participant in the event that they determine to not pursue skilled basketball afterwards.”
The choice proved worthwhile for Dillingham’s improvement. Time beyond regulation Elite held as many as three practices a day in a facility that included follow courts, a weight room, coaching room and area for lessons. When he left, he was ready for the trials of Division I basketball.
Dillingham maintained the silence he discovered at Donda and didn’t consent to interviews at Time beyond regulation Elite. Nonetheless, teammate Kanaan Carlyle, now a star at Stanford who has recognized Dillingham since fifth grade, instructed the Lexington Herald-Chief in 2022, “I’ve seen Rob develop, from little Rob with a giant afro to now he’s on the brink of go to Kentucky. It’s been wonderful to see him develop over time.”
At Kentucky, Dillingham started speaking to reporters and established that he’s upbeat and assured with out coming off as brash. Throughout one postgame interview, he and coach John Calipari traded opinions about one another.
The season had gotten off to a rocky begin, with Dillingham not enjoying a lot in exhibitions held in Canada. By midseason he was displaying enchancment and by season’s finish he was chosen Southeastern Convention sixth man of the yr whereas averaging 15.6 factors.
“Since Canada till now, our relationship grew a lot,” Dillingham mentioned of Calipari. “He reveals me he has confidence in me. He nonetheless lets me rock, however on the identical time he desires me to probe and make smarter selections.
“I’m simply grateful for him. He helps me whereas he lets me be me.”
Calipari, sitting subsequent to Dillingham, spoke subsequent: “You’re teaching a child who can create area and get a basket when he desires to. Do you clip his wings? You possibly can’t. You bought to let him go.
“However, I give him two [mistakes] in a half. The third one,” Calipari mentioned, turning to Dillingham, “you’re popping out.”
Dillingham at all times was thought-about a one-and-done participant, destined for the NBA as quickly as potential. He’s certainly one of 4 Kentucky gamers anticipated to be drafted, becoming a member of Reed Sheppard, Justin Edwards and Antonio Reeves.
Occasions basketball author Dan Woike’s mock draft has Dillingham going to the Utah Jazz with the tenth decide, saying, “The Jazz have time, ammunition with future draft picks and wishes of their backcourt. Dillingham is an explosive offensive participant with fast fingers on protection. He’s small, however lightning quick.”
Different mock drafts have him going as excessive as No. 8 to the San Antonio Spurs. He’s undersized, measuring 6-foot-1 with out sneakers, and weighing 164 kilos on the NBA mix. Dillingham didn’t enable the catastrophe at Donda to derail his desires, and shortly he can show he belongs alongside the very best.
