Michigan star center Hunter Dickinson, the top-rated transfer who entered the portal at the end of March after earning All-Big Ten honors in each of his three seasons with the Wolverines, announced Thursday he was committing to Kansas following a weeks-long courtship from some of the top programs in the country. Dickinson is a 7-foot-1 senior who started 89 of 94 games the last three seasons at Michigan.
Where Dickinson would land has for weeks been at the center of the college basketball universe with some of the bluest of blue bloods involved in prioritizing him. Kentucky, Villanova, Maryland and Georgetown were among the many other programs who threw their hat in the ring.
— Hunter Dickinson (@H_Dickinson24) May 4, 2023
The 2023 transfer class is one stacked with star power but Dickinson's presence among the group stood head and shoulders above the rest of the bunch. CBS Sports' David Cobb ranked him No. 1 among all transfers this cycle, projecting him as someone who "has the ability to change the trajectory of whatever program he chooses to play for" next season. From Cobb:
Dickinson is one of the best big men in college basketball. At 7-foot-1 and with a well-built frame, he can outmuscle most opponents on the block, protect the rim and rebound. He also continued demonstrating the ability to hit 3-pointers during the 2022-23 season while earning All-Big Ten honors for a third straight year. The Maryland native is a fiery competitor and proven veteran who has the ability to change the trajectory of whatever program he chooses to play for during the 2023-24 season.
Kansas landed Dickinson's first official visit after he entered the transfer portal and seemingly made a big impression on him out of the gate.
"I guess on the visit, I got there and just really felt the love that Kansas fans have for the basketball program," Dickinson said. "Obviously, it's the winningest program in the college basketball. The tradition. Bill Self there, it just felt like a real family atmosphere with everybody and I just want to kind of try to contribute to the winning and bring more winning to the program."
Because Dickinson is a graduate transfer and has not exercised his free one-time transfer eligibility, he will be eligible immediately next season for KU. The addition comes up clutch for Kansas as it looks to add size in the frontcourt after playing mostly small-ball lineups last season with 6-8 forward Jalen Wilson and 6-7 forward KJ Adams operating at times as the center in large stretches. Self has thrived by building its system around big men, and Dickinson should plug in as a Day 1 starter -- and star -- on a team that may be a top-five preseason team.
"I mean that's what I came here for, to try to win another championship for Kansas," Dickinson said. "That was one of the reasons for me coming here, to try to win a national championship. And I feel like we got the players and do it. I don't think we're all the way done yet with the roster. But right now with the current roster we have, I can totally see why we are up there as favorites."
Dickinson initially signed with Michigan out of high school in 2020 from DeMatha Catholic in Maryland despite pursuits from the likes of Duke, Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina and others. In three seasons at Michigan, Dickinson averaged 17.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game and averaged career-highs last season in minutes, rebounds and blocks per game while finishing 0.1 points per game shy of matching his career-best as a sophomore where he averaged 18.6 per game.
