Kansas basketball: Hunter Dickinson named AP preseason All-American

From the moment the Jayhawks landed a commitment from center Hunter Dickinson this offseason, big expectations were put upon his shoulders. Those expectations grew a bit larger this week as the 7-foot-2 Kansas big man was one of five players in the country named to the Associated Press’ (AP) preseason All-American team.

Dickinson – an AP honorable mention All-American this past year – was joined by Tyler Kolek (Marquette), Kyle Filipowski (Duke), Armando Bacot (North Carolina), and Zach Edey (Purdue).

This news comes on the heels of Dickinson being named Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year and Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year – the first player in conference history to be named to both preseason awards.

The All-American honors only add fuel to what is sure to be a big year for Dickinson.

He’s never had the kind of talent he has around him like he does at Kansas with Dajuan Harris Jr. at point guard and Kevin McCullar Jr. on the wing.

Most importantly, Dickinson has never had a coach like Bill Self who has a proven track record of being able to develop big men such as Cole Aldrich, Thomas Robinson, the Morris twins, and others.

If Dickinson can somehow build upon the already impressive numbers he put up a year ago for Michigan (18.5 points and 9 rebounds per game), the Jayhawks could be in line for a very special season. And being on a winning team like Kansas will only help Dickinson earn All-American honors at season’s end – something that likely held him back while playing at Michigan.

Dickinson appears confident in his and his team’s ability heading into the season, which KU enters as the No. 1-ranked team in the country.

If Dickinson can live up to the lofty preseason expectations bestowed upon him, so might the team when it’s all said and done.