Category: NCAA Men’s Basketball

Meet Timberwolves rookie Rob Dillingham, Kentucky’s elite scorer ready to shine in the pros

His scoring and playmaking could translate very well to the next level.

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published June 12, 2024.

Kentucky Wildcats star Rob Dillingham is a crafty guard whose scoring and playmaking could translate very well to the next level in the pros.

Dillingham is widely considered one of the top players at his position in this class. After averaging 15.2 points with 3.9 assists per game while shooting 44.4 percent on 3-pointers as a freshman, the SEC named him Sixth Man of the Year.

Although he is celebrated for his incredible ball-handling and his ability to score off the dribble, during a recent interview with For The Win, the guard said there is plenty more to know about his game.

“I would say an all-around playmaker player who can get my teammates involved and really just do whatever the team needs to win,” Dillingham said. “I feel like if it involves scoring a ball, I can score the ball. If it involves passing the ball, I can pass the ball.”

Dillingham, who has represented Team USA in the FIBA U-16 Americas Championship and played for Donda Academy as well as Overtime Elite, has already had a long journey in his young basketball career.

Through it all, he has kept the same attitude that has gotten him this far.

“I’m just a funny dude. I always joke around with my friends,” Dillingham added. “I can’t help but joke. I laugh all day. I just be in the gym for sure. Outside of basketball, I feel like I try to make people happy because you never know what people go through.”

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Watch Episode 3 of Prospect Park, a video series featuring future NBA players brought to you by USA TODAY Sports and For The Win:

What should NBA teams know about you?

I’m an all-around dude. I want to see everybody win. I feel like that’s a boost to my thing because if I want to see everybody win, everything feels good for people that want positive things. I feel like I can help my teammates and it gives confidence to my teammates and it makes my teammates like me, so just knowing I can be a leader and also a player that gets guys together.

Is ball-handling your best skill?

I really don’t feel like ball-handling is my best. I feel like change of pace makes my ball-handling looks a little better because I know how to change speeds. But I feel like reading the game is my advantage because I feel like a lot of people don’t really see because I’m moving so fast. I feel like I can really read the game. I see everything that happens on the floor. I know where people are. I know basketball.

How will your shot-making off the dribble help you?

I think honestly it would be a big help for me because getting past your first defender, if you can score with the ball, they have to guard you. If they have to guard the shot, getting past them isn’t really the hard thing about it. So once you’re past them, the defense has to help and once the defense helps, it’s based on what reads you’re going to make. Sometimes, getting to the second thing is just helping me get to the reads. Once I get to the reads, it’s up to me to make the right decisions.

How would you have helped teams in the playoffs?

Really, depending on the role I’m playing. But if I’m in a point guard role, coming off screens is easy because you’ve got to switch it. If you don’t switch, it’s a play where I’m ahead and I have an advantage. If I’m at the two, I feel like I can knock down shots at all times. I have to space the floor and they can’t help as much. Either position, I feel like I can do both and help any team.

How can you help teams defensively?

I feel like I can be a pest at all times. I can always be on the ball and really just knowing the game plan. When I know the game plan, I can do it and if I don’t do it, that’s on me. I’m going to rise to the occasion. Whatever the coach needs me to do to play defense, I can do it. If I don’t do it, you can take me out. I don’t have a problem. I want to get better in that role and I feel like I can, honestly. 

What have you learned on your basketball journey?

Really, it’s just keeping the main thing the main thing: Understanding that it’s going to be so many distractions and so many things that come to you and if you keep basketball the main thing and you really love it with everything you want and that’s what you want, it’s always going to work out for you because that’s your main goal. As long as you put that as your main goal and you don’t have other distractions, God is going to guide your path. That’s how I look at it. 

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Dan Hurley denied ‘conspiracy’ that he leveraged the Lakers to get more money from UConn

UConn’s Dan Hurley called this one of the worst takes he ever heard.

UConn Huskies men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley said there was no conspiracy theory about his interest in the Los Angeles Lakers gig.

While it was initially shocking news that Hurley had emerged as a serious candidate for the Lakers, the college coach eventually said no to the NBA opportunity Los Angeles. During an interview on Dan Le Batard Show, he called it a “gut-wrenching decision” before he made his choice.

But then it was simply business as usual for the Huskies once Hurley eventually made his decision to defend his back-to-back collegiate national titles.

According to Hurley, it is a bad faith argument to suggest that he was trying to use negotiations with the Lakers against UConn for a contract extension:

“One of the worst takes I’ve heard is this was a leverage play by me to improve my situation at UConn. I don’t need leverage here. We’ve won back-to-back national championships at this place. This was never a leverage situation for me. I’ve had a contract in place here for a couple weeks and the financial part in terms of salary has been done for a while. There are some other parts like NIL and staff salaries and some different things that I want adjusted that I’m not comfortable with. But the sense that this was some conspiracy to get me a sweeter deal at UConn is lazy.”

The coach was reportedly offered $70 million over six years by the Lakers.

Hurley said he had already figured out the financials on his next deal with the university, who recently announced a contract extension for UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma.

He argued that anyone who viewed this saga as a way to sweeten the pot for himself in negotiations with UConn was being lazy.

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UConn had a perfectly calm reaction to Dan Hurley turning down the Lakers’ massive offer

It’s just business as usual now that Dan Hurley will not leave for the Lakers.

It was no secret the Lakers wanted to hire UConn men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley. But the two-time collegiate national champion is staying put.

After winning March Madness in back-to-back seasons, Hurley is going to try for a three-peat. He would become the first men’s basketball coach who accomplished as much since John Wooden did as much for UCLA.

Hurley was an enticing but risky candidate for Los Angeles and now, the Lakers will go back to the drawing board as they look to replace Darvin Ham (now an assistant coach on the Bucks). Most likely, JJ Redick will once again emerge as the favorite.

Meanwhile, despite a few days of drama, the Huskies are back to business as usual in Connecticut. After some brief chaos and frenzy, Hurley met with his team on Monday and informed them that he is not leaving.

UConn Men’s Basketball account had a casual reaction to the developing story, tweeting that their 2:00 p.m. practice had begun.

It was a perfectly nonchalant way of describing what happened, which is that nothing has changed but the day on the calendar.

Hurley was reportedly offered $70 million to leave the NCAA but he gets to defend his championships instead. It is easy to imagine that all of the players on the roster felt pretty fired up after the announcement and that the practice had tremendous vibes.

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Dan Hurley as coach of the Lakers makes more sense for Bronny James than it does for LeBron

Do the Lakers want a coach known for development so they can help Bronny James?

Early on Thursday morning, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski shocked the NBA world with a report about the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching vacancy.

According to Wojnarowski, the Lakers are preparing a “massive, long-term” contract that would bring UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley from the college ranks to the NBA.

This is, obviously, a major change of pace from previous reports indicating that former NBA veteran and ESPN commentator JJ Redick was likely going to accept the gig after he completed his on-air duties for the NBA Finals.

At first blush, this doesn’t seem to make a ton of sense for LeBron James. After all, LeBron co-hosts a basketball podcast with Redick and the two have great chemistry together on the show.

To be clear, that isn’t to suggest that LeBron isn’t a fan of Hurley or what he has accomplished at UConn. In fact, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer posted a reply to a recent podcast appearance featuring Hurley with very high praise.

The host of that podcast was none other than Redick, who may assumed was previously the frontrunner to take over as head coach of the Lakers before the recent report about Hurley surfaced.

LeBron is clearly impressed by Hurley and after two consecutive collegiate national championships, it is easy to see why.

But for all of his accolades and accomplishments that he has earned thus far, what he is most celebrated for is his ability to get the most out of young players. Even in ESPN’s initial report, Hurley’s “elite player development” is unsurprisingly one of the first traits mentioned.

That matters significantly, per Wojnarowski, and could mean a lot to the future of LeBron’s son Bronny:

“Assuming James returns to L.A. in free agency, the possibility of using the 55th pick in this month’s NBA draft on USC freshman guard Bronny James makes Hurley an even more intriguing candidate. If that happens, James gets a chance to play with his son and the benefit of Hurley and his staff becoming responsible for Bronny’s pro development.”

Wojnarowski continued that thought during an appearance on ESPN’s UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio.

Here is more from Woj:

“You’re gonna have to grow your young players and the idea of Bronny James and the Lakers: They have the 55th pick. Who better potentially than Dan Hurley to be the development coach to lead his growth than the coach who has really dominated the college sport?”

For what it is worth, though, Bronny (a former McDonald’s All-American) did not receive an offer from Hurley and UConn when he was coming out of high school.

But of course, it isn’t just Bronny (who isn’t even on the Lakers roster at this point) that Los Angeles is considering when targeting Hurley.

Wojnarowski added:

“This is a decision and an idea for beyond LeBron James. I think Anthony Davis is at the forefront of this conversation … He wants to have a voice in this. He wants to be on the same page with this new head coach, whoever it is, and see how that new coach may use him, the actions he can put him in.”

Overall, the messaging is that this hire is not about a 39-year-old LeBron and more about the rest of the roster.

Here are some thoughts from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst:

“LeBron told the Lakers they need to make a decision on their head coach that’s not just about me, it’s not just about what’s good for me for this year, next year … It’s going to be about what you need to do for your franchise. It’s going to be about Anthony Davis. That is what he said … He wants the Lakers to do what’s best for their team long-term. If the Lakers make a hire like this, it’s not for LeBron.”

There is a lot to unpack here but the reality is that Hurley has most of his experience coaching players like Bronny, who have the potential to improve but aren’t where they want to be as basketball players quite yet.

Does that mean he is incapable of coaching stars like LeBron and Davis?

We have seen him have tremendous success in the NCAA using NBA-style schemes and systems, so it could potentially translate.

When you watch Hurley coach, you can see why his message resonates well with players Bronny’s age and may not have that same impact on NBA vets. All things considered, this coach seems to make the most sense for a younger roster where the Lakers are a team loaded with experienced pros.

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The Lakers are reportedly targeting Dan Hurley as coach and fans were stunned at the turn of events

So is JJ Redick the next Lakers coach or not?

The Los Angeles Lakers coaching search appeared to be over. After weeks of rumors that J.J. Redick was the leader in the clubhouse, The Athletic’s Sham Charania gave the news his stamp Wednesday with yet another report that LA was zeroing in on Redick as the frontrunner.

One day later, and that no longer seems to be the case. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday morning that the Lakers are actually targeting UConn head coach Dan Hurley for the position.

Maybe this is why Redick said he would be addressing Charania after the NBA Finals?

According to Wojnarowski, the Lakers are preparing a massive long-term offer to the back-to-back national champion Hurley. And not only have they already had preliminary talks with the coach, he’s been at the forefront of their search the entire time.

Fans didn’t see this coming

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Meet NBA Draft prospect Kyle Filipowski, the Duke star ready to reintroduce himself in the pros

Kyle Filipowski is a Duke big man who is ready to dribble, pass, and shoot in the NBA.

Duke Blue Devils star Kyle Filipowski is a talented, versatile big man who can help space the floor and impact winning at the next level.

Filipowski is widely considered one of the top players at his position in this class. After averaging 16.4 points with 8.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game as a sophomore, he was named as a consensus second-team All-American.

He told For The Win during a recent video interview that he has the unique ability as a big man who can dribble, pass, and shoot.

“It gives teams a lot to do with me. I’m very adaptable. I’m very coachable,” Filipowski said. Whatever the team needs me to do, I’m going to be able to do it just because of that uniqueness in my skills.”

The former Duke star measured just short of 6-foot-11 in socks at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine. His shuttle run (2.93 seconds) was near the best among all players at his position.

His versatility during his collegiate career puts him in unique company as a top-tier prospect.

“I’m very disciplined with what I need to be doing in order to take my body to the next level in order to play at the NBA stage,” Filipowski explained. “I’m excited for the spacing just to expand my range on 3-pointers because I know that’s going to help a lot with my passing and my facilitating as well if I get that more dangerous for teams.”

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Watch Episode 2 of Prospect Park, a video series featuring future NBA players brought to you by USA TODAY Sports and For The Win:

How helpful will it be to have a fully healthy offseason?

That’s going to be huge. Like you said, right after we lost in the tournament my freshman year at Duke, I got double bilateral hip surgery two weeks later, if that. That was a really hard decision for me to make because I knew I wasn’t going to have an offseason to develop and take off but ultimately, it was the best decision for me because now I’m feeling fantastic with where my body is at and I’m super excited to now have that offseason to get stronger and just work on my body even more now. Even now, every day, my body is getting better than it was. It’s not even at its full peak yet. So having this full offseason is going to be huge for me and I’m looking forward to it.

What should NBA teams know about you?

I’m not even at my fullest potential. I’m not even at my best yet. That comes with physicality and my skill set, of course. I think a lot of players can say that but for me, my upside is a whole lot more because of that hip surgery. I’m still getting better from that every day. So the strides and leaps I can take with that, they’ll get a guy that is going to be a dangerous player that loves competing and loves playing the game. Those are the biggest things for me.

How does your basketball IQ impact winning?

I’m a big learner of the game. I love watching basketball. I love watching the playoffs right now and seeing and reading all of these things that players are doing. It’s just so exciting for me. I know what I’m capable of and obviously college is a whole different style of play than the NBA and I feel like my style of play suits the NBA so much better. With that IQ coming into play, being able to facilitate and with the spacing and just reading and reacting, the defense will be so much easier in my opinion with my IQ.

What is your ideal role in the NBA?

I think what I love to do is just space the floor. I think that opens up a lot for myself and for my teammates. Starting on the perimeter, that gives me the ability to drive the ball and kick it out to the shooters or even pass it off to the five man like a Dereck Likely. Doing that at my size and also being able to space the floor and let the five man go to work inside or let the guards attack and facilitate, and they don’t have to worry about an extra defender because my defender will stay on me because of my 3-point ability as well. That’s the kind of stuff I’m looking forward to.

What are some of your goals?

Definitely going right into this year is Rookie of the Year. I don’t think that’s out of my reach at all. If I should play the way I’m capable of, there is no question I should be in that conversation. But ultimately, wherever I go, I just want to help that team win. Winning is the most important thing for me and I know that with what comes with that is those individual accolades and just being able to do that and work for those types of goals is very important to me.

How would you rate your competitiveness?

I would say an 11 out of 10. I’m so competitive when it comes to playing and winning. I never want to lose and if I fall short, I’ll go right back at it. So just bringing that competitiveness and that personality to a team will be big. That’s just something that makes me such a special player.  

How would you describe your personality?

I would say it’s a very joyful but passionate person. Obviously, if you do the right things playing in a competitive game, you can get me fired up. But at the same time, just being a very joyful guy and enjoying the process and embracing it all because this is what I love to do every day. 

Dave Pasch shared amazing Bill Walton texting memories as tribute to his late broadcasting partner

These Bill Walton memories were beautiful and it has a heartbreaking ending.

The world lost one of the best basketball players to ever play the game, Bill Walton, this holiday weekend. But he was so much more than that, too.

Although he was one of the greatest to step on the court, the legendary big man will be remembered for endless other aspects of his life as well. That includes his love for the Grateful Dead and his amazing career in the booth broadcasting games as a color commentator as well.

He was complemented (and often kept on track) by his longtime broadcasting partner, Dave Pasch. The play-by-play announcer shared his memories of his late friend, Bill, on Tuesday morning.

RELATED: The profound way Bill Walton watched sports is the exact way everyone should do it

Pasch posted a Twitter thread sharing screenshots of his texts with Walton. The two-time NBA champion had nicknames for himself (“Solar”) as well as Pasch (who he affectionally referred to as the nickname “Coal”).

Walton would often text Pasch during games that he was broadcasting independently of the 1977 NBA Finals MVP with hilarious jokes about the game.

The big man would pretend he did not know that Pasch was on the call.

Pasch noted that Walton would make silly t-shirts and placards for the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament.

The designs occasionally made fun of Pasch and the product was given to the production crew.

Some of the texts that Walton sent to Pasch were aligned with the stream-of-consciousness style that you would hear from the former NBA player when he was on the air.

His style of writing was just as out there and intergalactic as he presented.

Pasch shared that he made t-shirts to wear for their final broadcast together, whenever that happened.

Unfortunately, however, they never got a chance to have that moment to say goodbye to each other while calling a game.

In what was actually their final broadcast together, the two made up a story about how Chewbacca was actually based on Walton.

Pasch will always have the beautiful memories and texts (and this amazing t-shirt, among many others) to remember his late friend.

The world will always remember Walton as so much larger than life, and Pasch’s stories perfectly embody exactly that.

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DJ Burns has lost 45 pounds since NC State’s March Madness run while preparing for the NBA Draft

Here are photos and videos of DJ Burns’ body transformation.

NC State big man DJ Burns was the breakout star of March Madness and now, he is preparing for the 2024 NBA Draft.

While there was some speculation that he would potentially try to play football due to his build, he definitively stated that his goal was to pursue a career in basketball.

Now with a little more than a month to go before he could potentially hear his name called in the NBA Draft, the prospect has put in tremendous work for a body transformation that could prepare him for the next level.

RELATED: 7 photos of DJ Burns over the years, from Tennessee to NC State

Here is more from Shams Charania:

“There are agencies pro days going on as these draft prospects get ready for the NBA Draft next month. I went to one yesterday … DJ Burns … There was a big deal made about his size, his frame, his weight. He was listed at 275 pounds when he finished the season in college. I saw him at the pro day yesterday. He looked totally different … DJ Burns told me he has lost 45 pounds in the last six and a half weeks.”

According to Charania, the prospect is doing cardio workouts at 5 a.m. and is not using Ozempic.

His representation, 4 Life Sports, told For The Win: “All diet. All exercise. All commitment. He’s determined to get to, and flourish at, the next level.”

They are referring to this as “DJ 2.0” and shared the following video of his increased mobility at his pro day:

Here is shooting 3-pointers:

Here he is dunking:

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‘Play in the parking lot of Mandalay Bay’: Texas A&M men’s basketball team reportedly competing in lucrative NIL tourney

“There’s not a decision we make that’s not NIL-driven. I’ll play in the parking lot of Mandalay Bay, just clear the f***ing check.”

On a week that we will be giving thanks later this year, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team will reportedly be competing in a lucrative regular season tournament held in Las Vegas.

According to a report from CBS Sports, the Aggies are 1-of-8 teams that have agreed to play in the “Players Era Festival” that will offer $1 million in NIL payouts.

“If there are events where there’s an extraordinary amount of money involved, and there’s no donor fatigue involved in this, how do you not play in this?” one coach told CBS Sports. “There’s not a decision we make that’s not NIL-driven. I’ll play in the parking lot of Mandalay Bay, just clear the f***ing check.”

The eighth team is still to be determined. Per CBS Sports, the other teams are: Alabama, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers and San Diego State.

The Lakers are very open to drafting Bronny James but it is not for the right reasons

This isn’t surprising about Bronny James but it is definitely significant.

The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the postseason and will now shift their focus to an offseason likely centered around LeBron James.

After winning a championship with the Lakers in 2020, the four-time NBA Finals MVP can potentially become a free agent this offseason. Meanwhile, his son Bronny James recently declared for the 2024 NBA Draft and he will soon decide if he will turn pro.

Bronny will also enter the NCAA transfer portal and all options, including even playing next season at Duquesne in Pittsburgh, are on the table. But it seems increasingly likely that Los Angeles would select Bronny should he decide to stay in the draft.

Here is the latest reporting suggesting as much (via The Athletic):

“What’s more, team sources say the Lakers are very open to the prospect of helping LeBron fulfill his dream of playing with his son Bronny by potentially drafting him.”

It is hardly a secret that LeBron James hopes to eventually play alongside his son in the NBA.

LeBron has a fascinating player option in his contract that would allow him to either stay with the Lakers or become a free agent and join whatever NBA team potentially drafts his son if Los Angeles did not.

While we don’t have Bronny as a projected first-round pick in our latest mock draft, it makes sense that the Lakers would select the former USC guard so as to entice LeBron to stay in Los Angeles.

We already knew that the Lakers were “willing to explore the notion” of adding Bronny, per The Athletic. He is still on “multiple” draft boards, via ESPN.

But using a draft pick on Bronny just to keep LeBron happy isn’t exactly the wisest strategy for roster construction.

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