Kansas basketball made a splash in the transfer portal when they acquired Hunter Dickinson. Andy Katz rates him the best transfer pickup of the offseason.
The most prized possession in the transfer portal was Hunter Dickinson, a three-time All-Big Ten Team selection and former Second Team Consensus All-American. His drawn-out recruitment was one of the most memorable processes in recent memory.
The former face of basketball at Michigan ultimately decided to choose the Kansas Jayhawks as the next destination, and he is the reason they are ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll.
Across three years in Ann Arbor, Dickinson averaged 17.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 94 games played. He also compiled a 57.0/36.0/75.3 slash line — shooting numbers like that are unheard of for a 7-foot-2 big man.
Now that he plays under the best coach in college basketball, Bill Self, it should come as no surprise that Dickinson was rated the best transfer portal addition of the 2023 offseason.
NCAA insider Andy Katz — who has spent plenty of time with the Alexandria, Virginia native as a Big Ten analyst — thinks extremely highly of him in his list of ten best transfers this season. “Dickinson gives the Jayhawks the post presence they need to win the title,” Katz wrote.
A player of Dickinson’s caliber has not been readily available in the history of the transfer portal. Coach Self had high praise for him during Big 12 Media Days, stating he is “the most skilled and most talented offensive player that I’ve had, from a center-type standpoint.”
Dickinson and returning players Dajuan Harris and Kevin McCullar will look to lead Kansas basketball to its third national championship under Self. Although he has two years of eligibility remaining, the likelihood is that he departs for the NBA after this season.
Katz has made some nonsensical lists during his series of creating top tens, but at least he still has love for the former Big Ten superstar.
Here is the full list on NCAA.com:
- Hunter Dickinson (Kansas)
- Ace Baldwin (Penn State)
- Ryan Nembhard (Gonzaga)
- Max Abmas (Texas)
- Harrison Ingram (North Carolina)
- Caleb Love (Arizona)
- Grant Nelson (Alabama)
- LJ Cryer (Houston)
- Jahvon Quinerly (Memphis)
- Steven Ashworth (Creighton)