ANN ARBOR, Mich. — All-American center Hunter Dickinson sent shockwaves throughout the college basketball world when he became the most accomplished player to ever enter the NCAA transfer portal after three excellent seasons at Michigan.
The list of teams interested in the former Big Ten Freshman of the Year is effectively a list of every single Division 1 college basketball program in America, and this is despite his reputation as the biggest villain currently in the sport.
While Dickinson's antics on and off the court have alienated many fanbases - including Maryland, Wisconsin, Illinois, and of course rival Michigan State - his low post scoring ability and developing outside shot make him the most appealing player available and would turn any team into an instant contender.
Below is a look at five potential fits for Dickinson this offseason, who is expected to command a hefty sum of NIL money during this process.
1. Maryland Terrapins
Maryland just hired Mike Jones to join Kevin Willard's staff, and that is a hard fact to ignore considering Jones was Dickinson's high school head coach, along with current Terrapins guard Jahmir Young.
Dickinson's connection at Maryland is strong, making this a very plausible landing spot and one filled with intrigue if he plays elsewhere in the Big Ten.
There are questions about how Dickinson would pair with Julian Reese, but if Willard can make the pieces fit this team could be very dangerous in 2023-24.
2. Georgetown Hoyas
New Hoyas head coach Ed Cooley recruited Dickinson hard while he was at Providence, and bringing him back to the east coast would be an incredible way to jumpstart his time at Georgetown and bring this program immediately back to relevance.
Cooley is excellent at adding transfers and utilizing big men, so this is an extremely logical fit especially if the Hoyas can pony up some NIL cash for the All-American.
3. Kentucky Wildcats
The only way this remotely makes sense is if former National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe decides to go pro. If he's back, the Wildcats would be among very few teams in the country where adding Dickinson wouldn't make sense.
If Tshiebwe does move on, however, Dickinson is an extraordinarily logical replacement - and could do exactly what Tshiebwe did by transferring to Kentucky and winning NPOY.
Unless Dickinson is willing to wait out Tshiebwe this may end up being a timing issue, but the fit is certainly there if the spot opens up.
4. Duke Blue Devils
The Blue Devils lost Dereck Lively II to the NBA draft, but as of now have not heard a decision from fellow freshman star Kyle Filipowski.
A frontcourt of Dickinson and Filipowski might give up as many points as they'd score, but the offensive firepower would be tough to ignore. If Filipowski does declare for the draft, as expected, Dickinson could slide into a big time role alongside Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell - putting the Blue Devils in the conversation for the preseason number one team in the country.
5. Kansas Jayhawks
Bill Self loves himself back to the basket big men, and point guard Dajuan Harris is perhaps the best distributor in all of college basketball, so it's not hard to see the appeal of joining the Jayhawks.
Dickinson would be squarely in the national spotlight, playing in the toughest conference in the country, with an elite point guard and a coach who loves his style of play. Hard to ignore the fit here.