Kansas Jayhawks basketball center Hunter Dickinson earns All-American honors before March Madness

One of the most skilled Kansas basketball big men in recent history received a high honor before the NCAA Tournament. Hunter Dickinson was named to the AP All-American Second Team, along with Tyler Kolek, Mark Sears, DaRon Holmes II, and Kyle Filipowski.

The 7-foot-2 transfer from Michigan excelled in his first year with the Jayhawks, averaging 18.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 55.0% shooting (35.0% from 3-point range). He amassed 16 double-doubles, finished second in the Big 12 in scoring, and scored 30+ points twice.

Dickinson continues to tack on post-regular season awards, including taking home the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year award and All-Big 12 First Team honors. He had one of the most successful years statistically that a big man has ever had under head coach Bill Self.

While he appeared in all 31 regular season games, Dickinson missed the Big 12 Tournament due to a dislocated shoulder he sustained at Houston. He is expected to return for March Madness after nearly two weeks of rest, but he might not be playing at 100%. Fellow Jayhawk and All-Big 12 First Team honoree Kevin McCullar will miss the entirety of the tourney due to a bone bruise in his knee.

Dickinson will be considered a "Consensus" All-American if he qualifies in the point system for the four major All-American teams. He was a Consensus All-American at Michigan in 2021 as a freshman but has not been since that year.

The door to a potential return for the 2024-25 season remains open for Dickinson, so it remains to be seen whether he will exercise his eligibility for a super senior season. Regardless, his contributions from this year alone might land him in the KU rafters one day. He will play his first NCAA Tournament game as a Jayhawk tomorrow at 8:55 p.m. local time when Kansas faces off against No. 13 seed Samford.