Michigan Wolverines basketball freshman center Hunter Dickinson, a former four-star recruit, is exceeding expectations early in his career.
Dickinson is averaging a team-high 15.7 points per game, while also adding 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.7 blocks per contest. He is shooting 69.1 percent from the floor. The DMV area native is a key piece of Michigan's offense that currently ranks seventh in the nation in Kenpom's offensive efficiency ratings.
Dickinson has quickly become a fan favorite. He's caught the eye of one big Michigan fan, in particular, who also happens to be the newest Big Ten Network analyst. Legendary former Wolverines' head coach John Beilein, the winningest coach in program history, has been impressed with what Dickinson has shown in the season's early going.
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"He is amazing," Beilein said on BTN. "Now, he is a little bit older. He's not a 18-year-old freshman, but he is playing like he's a junior or senior. This is a rare thing that you see with big college players when they're young.
"There's no drama when they get the ball. The ball is in the basket before anybody knows he has it. He plays really well with his elbows up — and just the ball is in the basket. And he's got great balance; he minimizes his moves. He's really been fun to watch."
Dickinson is accepting an even bigger undertaking now, with fifth-year senior forward Austin Davis, who started the first five games of the year down low, out indefinitely with a foot injury.
Ahead of the matchup with Penn State, which was Dickinson's first start, head coach Juwan Howard was not worried about how Dickinson would respond in his increased role.
"Hunter can handle anything that's thrown at him. He's proven that," head coach Juwan Howard said. "He welcomes any challenge because he's a very competitive guy."
Howard was proved right. Dickinson scored a game-high 20 points, with seven rebounds, one assist and three blocked shots against the Nittany Lions.
Beilein has been impressed with Michigan's team as a whole, with the Wolverines off to a 6-0 start. When appearing on former Michigan guard Stu Douglass' podcast recently, Beilein lauded Howard for what he's done since taking over before the 2019-20 season, and his ability to carry forward the culture that Beilein set in Ann Arbor.
"I was really excited for him," Beilein said of when Howard was hired. "He knew that we had a lot of pieces coming back, but he's his own man. He wanted to establish his own culture and oh, my goodness, he's done a great job.
"I love watching this, that 2021 team. This is going to be a really good team. The ball does not stick, it moves like some of our best teams, and it's really good to be fun for Michigan fans. Don't sleep on this team. This team is good."
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