Hunter Dickinson Gets The Last Laugh In Homecoming Trip To Maryland
One of the main storylines surrounding the Michigan Wolverines’ basketball game at Maryland last night was the homecoming of sorts for freshman center Hunter Dickinson, who played his high school ball at DeMatha Catholic in nearby Hyattsville, Md.
Dickinson made the most of his return home, scoring a career-high 26 points on 10-of-11 shooting. He also pulled down 11 rebounds for good measure, finishing with the last laugh against a Terrapin program who never recruited him heavily.
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“Coming back to the DMV brought back a lot of memories, especially being so close to DeMatha,” Dickinson exclaimed after Michigan’s impressive 84-73 victory. “It was fun playing out there with my team and getting the win.
“I’ve been in big games before that mean a lot to me, especially at DeMatha with Coach [Mike] Jones. He did a good job making sure I channel those emotions into the game.”
Dickinson seems to shine when the lights are the brightest, and as a result is quickly turning into a star. His 16.6 points per game are over two more points than any other Wolverine is averaging, while his 8.8 boards are similarly two more rebounds than any other U-M player is tallying.
The 7-1 big man is not only the best freshman in the Big Ten, but is quickly developing into one of the best freshmen in the entire country.
“He’s 7-1 — it’s just that simple,” fifth-year senior point guard Mike Smith laughed when asked why it’s so much fun playing with Dickinson. “He likes to score the ball and it makes my job a lot easier — just get him the ball and get out of the way.
“He’s a great passer as well and is shooting a high percentage. Hunter will get me my assists but will also score for the team. Twenty-six points is a lot and that can’t go unnoticed.”
Though Dickinson has emerged as the team’s primary scoring threat (especially as of late), head coach Juwan Howard still has plenty of other scoring options to work with.
Sophomore guard Franz Wagner, for example, was just the latest player to step up on the offensive end last night, pouring in 19 points after he had tallied a season-high 20 in the Christmas Day win at Nebraska.
“Franz has been playing great,” Dickinson noted. “This is the Franz we all saw in the summer — when I first saw him, I thought ‘that’s a lottery pick right there.’ His shots are available for him every game — he’s a 6-10 two-guard who can play the one through the five [positions].
“I don’t know what to do when I guard him in practice and I expect him to keep up the success.”
The Wolverines will attempt to keep their success as a whole rolling when they welcome Northwestern to Crisler Center Sunday night, with a chance to improve to 9-0 with a win over the Wildcats.
Michigan was expected to be a solid team heading into the year, but there weren’t many basketball observers who thought they’d be this good, especially this quickly.
“I’m not surprised,” Smith admitted when asked about the team’s 8-0 start. “I looked at rosters when I was picking a school to transfer to, and I wanted to play with guys who will eventually be pros.
“I knew it'd make my job easier and I knew we could work in unison. I wanted to work toward one goal with these guys and that’s to win a championship.”
Notes
• Last night was of course New Year’s Eve, and Dickinson was asked after the game if he has any resolutions in mind for 2021.
“I’m trying to be more religious,” he said. “I’d like to pray once a day. I’m a faithful Catholic — [assistant] Coach Phil [Martelli] and I both are. We try to pray once a day, so that’s my New Year’s resolution.”
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