On a lively conversation with UK Athletics, Kentucky’s very own Rob Dillingham bared the inside of himself, his own NCAA Tournament history, and vivid memories that have made up his collective conscience of the competition. Most traditional fans fill their March Madness brackets, and Rob made a light but honest comment in his conversation: “My brackets always were wrong.”
Though the upsets and bracket busters are nice, what means the most to Dillingham, though, is the feel-good uplifting journey of the UConn Huskies shepherded by unforgettable Kemba Walker in their run through the 2011 NCAA Tournament. What are the memorable experiences while attending UConn? Dillingham recalls: “I think for me, it’s more so the UConn team when Kemba Walker was there. [They] were losing, and at the end of their season, came into the tournament and won all the games. It was a situation that felt like simulating something we could end up doing.”
Rob Dillingham on what he remembers most from the NCAA Tournament growing up:
— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) March 18, 2024
"My brackets were always wrong. My favorite memory was definitely that UConn team with Kemba Walker… That's similar to what we could do.
Adds Kentucky has "more than a few guys" that can have a… pic.twitter.com/7lLkhQg9ut
“That storied UConn team and the current Kentucky squad drawing parallels,” Dillingham says in bold, with a clear vision of the confidence his team is talking about.
“For sure—people saw that with Walker in those types of games for sure—Kentucky’s got more than a few guys that can catch hotter than a Kemba run all they need to do is figure that out, add in the trust, and the resolve,” said Dillingham. “We get locked in, trust one another, really get this thing going. We’ve got to go as one and believe in each other.
This is not the attitude of a hopeful strategy; this is an attitude to galvanize the Wildcats as they get ready to thread their March Madness. Success for the teams comes with the feeling that everyone should toe the line with victory in mind, much like the spirit that ATHLETE UConn. With the NCAA Tournament tipping off, it is the center of the college basketball world, with Kentucky to see if they can venture into the same magic that turned Kemba Walker’s Huskies. If managed by a talent like Rob Dillingham, it will be the mark of a Wildcats team to impress others with trust, teamwork, and just the will to win.
