What’s Next for the Teams That Lost Out on Hunter Dickinson

Kentucky

The Wildcats jumped into the Dickinson sweepstakes given uncertainty surrounding whether Oscar Tshiebwe would return for a fifth year in Lexington. John Calipari hosted Dickinson on an official visit, but per Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio, concerns about guaranteed NIL money were part of the holdup for landing the star big man.

If Tshiebwe returns to school, Kentucky is set at the center position. While the 2022 National Player of the Year failed to live up to expectations in ’23, Tshiebwe is still a dominant rebounding force and averaged better than 16 points and 13 boards per game last season. He has his flaws defensively but when surrounded with the right guards can lead a team to national title contender status, as he did in ’21–22.

If Tshiebwe turns pro, Kentucky could use a proven center to plug into its rotation, especially after veteran big Lance Ware announced Thursday he’s entering the transfer portal. Talented young big Ugonna Onyenso is an incredibly gifted defensive prospect, but he has limited college basketball reps under his belt. Meanwhile, five-star signee Aaron Bradshaw could be an answer at center, but he has made clear he wants to play power forward in college. The challenge: Kentucky may not know a final decision from Tshiebwe until the end of May, the NCAA’s deadline for players to decide whether to stay in the draft or return to college. 

Georgetown

The Hoyas were a popular rumor-mill destination for Dickinson early in the process after hiring Ed Cooley as their new coach, but by the end Georgetown didn’t seem like a serious contender to land the big man’s services. Dickinson offered the team its best chance of relevance in the first season under Cooley, but this is a program in transition and was never the best fit for the big man’s fresh start.

Georgetown has bolstered its backcourt already in the portal, adding promising Illinois transfer Jayden Epps and former highly rated recruits Dontrez Styles (North Carolina) and Rowan Brumbaugh (Texas). All three of those players have multiple years of eligibility remaining and can be long-term building blocks for Cooley. But the Dickinson recruitment did slow down the Hoyas’ rebuilding efforts, particularly in the frontcourt. Once it became clear Dickinson was unlikely to choose Georgetown, the Hoyas hosted South Florida transfer Russel Tchewa on a visit, but he has since committed to Georgia. Georgetown also brought in Kansas State transfer Ismael Massoud for a visit, but he’s more of a stretch four than a traditional center. 

Maryland

Pursuing Dickinson at Maryland didn’t make a ton of basketball sense beyond the in-state factor, given the Terrapins were already set to bring back starting center Julian Reese and starting power forward Donta Scott. Maryland and Dickinson have a complicated history, with Dickinson saying he felt disrespected by former Terps coach Mark Turgeon not recruiting him more aggressively out of high school. New coach Kevin Willard has made important inroads in the region and at Dickinson’s high school, DeMatha Catholic (even hiring former DeMatha coach Mike Jones as an assistant this spring), and landing Dickinson would have been a statement about the Terrapins’ pull with in-state talent as much as it would have been a basketball move.

Maryland’s roster is mostly set for 2023–24, with Reese, Scott and point guard Jahmir Young anchoring a group that could be among the top teams in the Big Ten. 

Villanova

This one would have been another odd roster construction, but if you have a realistic chance to get the best player in the transfer portal, it’s worth kicking the tires. Villanova has had a strong offseason, adding wings Hakim Hart (Maryland) and TJ Bamba (Washington State) to a core that already included guard Justin Moore and center Eric Dixon. Moore was a high school teammate of Dickinson’s at DeMatha, so there was a connection that helped drive the interest.

This is a critical second season for Kyle Neptune after missing the NCAA tournament in his first. The Wildcats have done enough with the Hart and Bamba additions to have a tournament-caliber team, particularly if sophomore Mark Armstrong blossoms at the point guard spot. 

Michigan

It never seemed overly likely Dickinson would return to Michigan, but the book on his three-year career in Ann Arbor is officially closed. And while his last two years were far from perfect, he still led the Wolverines to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament twice in three years and was one of the best players in the Big Ten.

Michigan’s big move early this offseason was the addition of North Carolina transfer Caleb Love, the volatile scoring guard who led the Heels to the national championship game in 2022. The Wolverines seem likely to turn to talented sophomore Tarris Reed Jr. at center this season, unless a big-name option emerges late in the transfer portal. Reed averaged 3.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in ’22–23.