Hunter Dickinson One Of 10 Semifinalists For Basketball's Naismith Trophy
Michigan Wolverines basketball freshman center Hunter Dickinson was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy this afternoon, which is given each year to the nation's best collegiate player.
He is one of three freshmen (Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham and USC forward Evan Mobley are the other two) to have made the list and one of just three players from the Big Ten (alongside Illinois guard Ayo Dosonmu and Iowa center Luka Garza) who made the cut.
The pool will be narrowed down to four finalists March 16, with the winner set to be announced April 4 at the Final Four.
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Dickinson's outstanding play this season (14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game) has been one of the primary factors Michigan holds an 18-2 record and is on the verge of a Big Ten championship (a win either tonight or Sunday against MSU would seal the title).
His 7.7 rebounds per outing are seventh most in the league, while his 60 field goal percentage and 1.6 blocks per game each check in third. Dickinson's defensive efforts (especially lately) have also began to garner him praise, limiting Iowa senior center Luka Garza to just 6-of-19 shooting last Thursday at Crisler Center and Indiana sophomore big man Trayce Jackson-Davis to just 3-of-12 from the field in Saturday's win at Bloomington.
Consistency has been the name of the game for Dickinson this year, with the 7-1 center scoring 10 or more points in 16 of Michigan's 20 games and pouring in 20 or more points on four separate occasions.
His season-high occurred in a Jan. 6 82-57 beatdown of Minnesota when he racked up 28 points. The Naismith Trophy was first presented in 1969, and the first and only Michigan player to ever receive it was guard Trey Burke in 2013.
The nine other candidates who made the list are below in alphabetical order, with key stats in parenthesis:
• Baylor G Jared Butler (16.9 PPG, 5.0 APG, 43.5 percent from three-point range)
• Oklahoma State G Cade Cunningham (19.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 41.8 percent from three-point range)
• Illinois G Ayo Dosonmu (21.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.3 APG, 40.0 percent from three-point range)
• Iowa C Luka Garza (24.3 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 45.5 percent from three-point range)
• Houston G Quentin Grimes (17.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 39.3 percent from three-point range)
• Alabama F Herb Jones (11.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.1 APG, 45.5 percent from three-point range)
• Gonzaga F Corey Kispert (19.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 46.3 percent from three-point range)
• USC F Evan Mobley (16.2 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.8 BPG)
• Gonzaga F Drew Timme (18.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 65.1 field goal percentage)
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