Michigan basketball incoming frosh Hunter Dickinson was always the biggest kid on the court. The son of a 6-6 father and a 6-1 mother, he steadily grew a few inches each year until he reached his current 7-2 height, becoming one of the dominant big men in the 2020 recruiting class.
The Wolverine's June cover man first started dunking in seventh grade, and when his 15U Team Takeover AAU made it to the esteemed Peach Jam tournament in summer of his eighth grade season, college coaches started to inquire.
Michigan's John Beilein was among them. Dickinson, in fact, had been on the former U-M coach's radar for a few years before he pledged to Michigan Dec. 20 last year, an early Christmas present for head coach Juwan Howard. Notre Dame, Florida State and Duke had all been mentioned as more likely possibilities for his commitment before Howard arrived on the scene in Ann Arbor, quickly getting Dickinson’s attention.
RELATED: Juwan Howard Talks Transfers Chaundee Brown, Nojel Eastern
RELATED: Juwan Howard Talks Isaiah Livers' Decision, Replacing Zavier Simpson
Make no mistake — Dickinson liked Beilein and the U-M program, and he was serious about giving the Wolverines a look. But there was something about Howard’s presence and coaching style that stuck with him after a fall visit.
“Just how genuine of a guy he is. You can just tell he’s a really good guy,” Dickinson recalled. “Everything he says is just the truth, really. That’s pretty hard to come by these days, to be able to tell if somebody’s telling you the truth about stuff. That was one of the things I just noticed right away.
“His love for Michigan, being an alumnus from there, you could tell he really enjoyed his time and he would do it again if he had the chance.”
He proved that in a way when he returned to Michigan to coach, accepting the job despite being interviewed for prestigious NBA jobs after spending the last several years as a Miami Heat assistant. There was only one college job he was willing to entertain, he said at the time, something he shared with the world at his introductory press conference and with recruits immediately after accepting the job.
He didn’t have to say much to Dickinson during the big man’s visit, however. It was clear to Dickinson how much Howard was in his element. Of all the coaches he’d met with during his recruitment, Howard had the most relatable story — always the biggest in his grade, working his way in to a D1 prospect at an early age and taking pride in his post moves.
He also shined on the biggest stages, something Dickinson has shown a penchant for, as well. At the January Hoophall Classic, one of the most prestigious prep tournaments in the country, Dickinson finished with 28 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots and was named game MVP after dominating then-No. 1 ranked center Evan Mobley, another seven-footer, out of Temecula (Cali.) Rancho Christian.
He dazzled with an array of post moves and jump shots and afterwards even added some Howard-type swag in declaring in a national ESPN television interview, ‘that was [against] your No. 1 player.’
“Last year I played [elite big man, now Washington freshman] Isaiah Stewart in the same tournament, same place, and I had one of the worst games of my life,” Dickinson recalled. “I couldn’t buy a bucket on national TV. It was kind of embarrassing. I told myself next year I really had to come back to Massachusetts and play differently. It happened to be against the No. 1 player, in the country, so it was good timing.”
And just one of many of his impressive accomplishments. Rivals.com’s No. 37 player in the 2020 class led his team to two high school conference championships and a NIKE Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) Peach Jam title with Team Takeover on the AAU circuit alongside teammate and fellow U-M frosh-to-be Terrance Williams of Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga.
Dickinson was later named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Maryland as a senior, becoming the sixth player from DeMatha to win the award. He was tabbed as a second-team All-American by MaxPreps his senior season, was his conference’s Player of the Year as a senior and was set to play in the prestigious Jordan Brand Classic in March before it was canceled.
On top of all that, Team Takeover head coach Doug Martin noted, he’s the consummate team guy, “all in” as a teammate.
“If there’s going to be one kid that’s going to throw himself into the Michigan tradition of football games, other school events, the community, it's Hunter,” Martin said. “Hunter won’t have to be told. That’s just who he is.
“If he’s wearing that jersey, he’s 100 percent in with you. He’s like that at DeMatha. I know he’s going to be that times 100 at Michigan.”
Dickinson said in late May he couldn’t wait to get started. He’d been getting shots up during quarantine, working on his NBA three-point range, but Ann Arbor was on his mind.
“The thing I like the most about it is it’s a busy campus, but not too busy overall … just a really good college town,” he said. “There’s stuff to do, but not too much so it’s a distraction.”
Winning basketball games is the goal, after all, and he’s ready to show Michigan fans what he can do from the get-go.
"I'm definitely coming here looking to play right away, trying to earn as many minutes as I can my first year," he said, noting he's found gyms to frequent and open basketball courts even during the pandemic. "I feel like I'm ready to produce at the college level in the Big Ten right away, and I can't wait to get down to Michigan and start working out with Coach Howard every day."
With the country starting to open up, he should be on his way to Ann Arbor soon.
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Listen and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Sign up for our newsletter, The Wolverine Now
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @Balas_Wolverine, @EJHolland_TW, @AustinFox42, @JB_ Wolverine, Clayton Sayfie and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook
