Hunter Dickinson was the first true star of college basketball free agency on the transfer portal. After a productive three-year career in Michigan, he made massive count statistics and pissed off all the Big Ten fan base on the other side before transferring to Kansas to join one of the best programs in the sport.
In the olden days, players had to sit for a year when they were transferring to a new school, but that wasn't the case anymore. Dickinson led a wave of portal players who legally accept money for services and can personally search for the best situation. A few days after he left Michigan, Dickinson provided a quote showing the new reality of college basketball.
“People who hate me will just quit their jobs because of an increase of $10,000.” Dickinson said on the look of the podcast. “In Michigan we got a figure of less than six. That year we got a figure of less than six in Michigan.”
Dickinson's salary in Kansas was by no means publicly available, but it was thought to be over $1 million and perhaps nearly $2 million. At the time, it looked like a reaching hand-to-hand between the player and the program. Kansas had just won the 2022 National Championship and suffered 32 exits the following year, as there were no high-quality men. Dickinson was one of the most productive veteran centers in college basketball and already had a history of providing playmaking interior scoring and pinching the Jayhawks needed to return to the top.
On Thursday, Dickinson played his final college basketball game and saddened him in every possible way. No. 10 seed Arkansas defeated No. 7 seed Kansas, 79-72, in his first round play at the 2025 Men's NCAA Tournament. This loss places the cap in the Jayhawks' incredibly disappointing season and earns Dickinson's overwhelming career at Lawrence.
Dickinson was terrible against Arkansas, finishing with 11 points on four shots from the field, going with nine rebounds, four assists and four turnovers. Dickinson often looked moody and gave him the rights during his time with the Jayhawks. This was a premium example. In Do-or-Die's NCAA tournament, he was sloppy with the ball, played on a low motor and didn't really care much.
Dickinson moved to Kansas to win the championship. Instead, Kansas took fifth place in the Big 12 in 2024, finishing sixth in the Big 12 this season, winning only one NCAA Tournament game in two years with Big Man.
The Jayhawks were the most disappointing team in college basketball this year. Kansas was number one in the preseason polls after maintaining the core (Dickinson, KJ Adams, and Dajuan Harris) since last year, but has been boosted with the addition of portals including Wisconsin's AJ Storr, South Dakota's Zeke Mayo, and Alabama's Rylan Griffen. Self maintained his best players and maintained a handpicked new work to help his team get past the hump. The problem was that I trusted him in the heart of the matter in the first place.
Dickinson was able to raise the numbers, but he was always a difficult player to plan. Despite being a productive 7'1 guy, there was a reason he played five seasons of college basketball. He was so slow to defend his pick and roll, that the NBA team wanted nothing to do with him. He was a little softer and soft for people of his size, and his post-scoring was effective with many touches, but that generally did not lead to an efficient offense for his team.
Kansas had not had enough spacing or shooting in two years with Dickinson. It wasn't defensive with him. And ultimately, it felt like a team that lacked versatility for a high-paying big-name player.
Dickinson never liked him The opposite program is called a “Skanbag.” Many times in Michigan, he has just carried himself in ways people find undesirable. His greatest crime was that despite his consistent production, Kansas wasn't very good with him on the roster. Jayhawks fans are very pleased to be able to get new blood in the program next year.
Dickinson was in the same recruitment class as Kade Cunningham and Evan Mobley, who are now finishing their fourth NBA season. He was stuck at university for a long time, so fans bothered him hearing about him and watching him, and his antics in court didn't help. College Hoops fans celebrated Dickinson's downfall as Kansas was eliminated on Thursday.
Our long international nightmare is over. Finally, it's time for Hunter Dickinson to do his real job.
– Brian (@brianjnba) March 21, 2025
Hunter Dickinson may be playing the lazy game of his career, and it says something
– Andrew Joseph (@andyj0seph) March 21, 2025
Hunter Dickinson is gathering Social Security while playing college basketball, but is unable to score late in his final game. I hate to see that
– Lukezim (@lukezim) March 21, 2025
Take a rest on Hunter Dickinson with piss. One of the most tragic college athletes I'm seeing to have experienced this misfortune. You will never be overlooked from this sport
– will (@_w1ii_) March 21, 2025
Hunter Dickinson is killing Kansas. Non-factored all games. It appears to be temporary and uncertain. I don't know what's going on with him.
– Stan Verrett (@stanverrett) March 21, 2025
Hunter Dickinson is undoubtedly the biggest loser in NCAA history
– Under the paint (@beneaththepaint) March 21, 2025
In Kansas, Darrin Peterson will be appearing next year. This is one of the great security prospects I've ever appreciated, and is the No. 1 NBA Draft Pics frontrunner in 2026.
Dickinson finishes his college career with more points than JJ Redickand the legendary cries distances Larry Bird and Tyler Handsbrough. Of course, he played for five years, but his production was still impressive. Unfortunately for him, Dickinson's legacy feels like a player everyone hates while lacking in March's madness. He went out sadly at his last college match. Maybe that's the way it was always meant to be.
