Former Huge Duke Basketball Recruiting Target Enters Transfer Portal

It seems unlikely that Michigan junior center Hunter Dickinson, who entered the transfer portal on Friday afternoon, would complete his college career as a member of the Duke basketball program. Even so, remember that the former four-star recruit was a prime target of the Blue Devils for a few months 3.5 years ago.

Perhaps the highly experienced Dickinson's new open recruitment is at least worth a kicking-the-tires call from first-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer or one of his assistants.

After all, in October 2019, the staff in Durham — then under the command of Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski but with Scheyer as the associate head coach — hosted the 7-foot-1, 260-pound crafty lefty for an official visit. That trip coincided with the program's annual Countdown to Craziness festivities.

Furthermore, the Blue Devils were among his four finalists at the time (along with Michigan, Florida State, and Notre Dame). But they reeled in a commitment from now-Charlotte Hornets rookie center Mark Williams a few weeks later, and Dickinson committed to Michigan in December of that year.

Meanwhile, the five-spot on the 2023-24 Duke basketball roster may need a new centerpiece, assuming freshman big man Dereck Lively II declares for the 2023 NBA Draft.

However, Hunter Dickinson's post talents are significantly different from Lively's, despite the fact Dickinson averaged a career-high 1.8 blocks last season for the Wolverines.

Dickinson's game, centered on his notably slow-moving yet refined post moves and high basketball IQ, is more in the mold of returning Duke backup center Ryan Young, although Young's production isn't near his level.

Across his three seasons as a Wolverine under Juwan Howard, Dickinson was a durable full-time starter, averaging 17.2 and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 57.0 percent from the field and playing more than 30 minutes per game.

Again, though, his floor-stretching abilities are somewhat limited, albeit his improvement into a 42.1 percent shooter from downtown on 1.7 attempts per game last season is admirable.

HUNTER DICKINSON… WHAT??? pic.twitter.com/yLvD0WEZb2
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) February 26, 2023

Nevertheless, Scheyer is probably hoping to end up with a lightfooted giant like Lively to keep up with the next Duke basketball team's projected fast-paced lineups. It's also worth noting that Christian Reeves, a 7-foot-1, 245-pound center who saw only mop-up time last season, may become a regular contributor as a sophomore.

Hunter Dickinson, who has two years of eligibility remaining and is now arguably the top player in the ever-growing transfer portal, has yet to indicate which schools he might consider.

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