Michigan Basketball: Saying goodbye to Hunter Dickinson

Now that the Hunter Dickinson sweepstakes are over for Michigan, a debt of gratitude is owed to him for what he accomplished in three years as one of Michigan’s all-time big men.

Whether you like him or hate him, Hunter Dickinson is one of the most polarizing figures in college basketball. He will go down as one of Michigan’s favorite sons, while in Ann Arbor and a wrestling-like villain for anyone who opposed him. He had many memorable moments wearing the maize and blue up until he made the unpopular choice to transfer out of town.

Many Michigan basketball loyalists will applaud him for where he took the Wolverines’, but some are pleased to see him go. The decision to leave came out of nowhere which caught folks off guard and angry. He left on a low note after Michigan basketball failed to make the NCAA tournament and choked away a win that they had in the bag at Vanderbilt.

The program is trending in the wrong direction, which makes matters worse. However, Dickinson is thinking selfishly for himself and his future. He graduated and wants to make more money in NIL, along with his slim NBA aspirations. He doesn’t think that he can do that at Michigan and will work to achieve his goals somewhere besides here.

As for his time at Michigan, he was an instant game-changer the second that he stepped on the floor. He started as a freshman in a win over Bowling Green and had 11 straight games in double digits. He became a household name in a heartbeat. Along with Franz Wagner, Isaiah Livers, and others, the crew carried Michigan basketball all the way to the elite eight, just a three-pointer away from the final four.

He was freshman of the year in the Big Ten, a number one seed in the NCAA tournament, and a Big Ten champion all in one season. That was the peak of Michigan basketball under Juwan Howard so far, but not Dickinson. He improved in his second stint as a scorer and as a three-point shooter. The team underwhelmed but still advanced to the postseason.

In his last season, things went off the rails quickly and they never recovered. He had his moments like the buzzer-beating basket he made to tie Wisconsin and capture the win in overtime, a bucket short of a new career high against his hometown Maryland Terrapins and a three-game winning streak to end his career on the court at the Crisler center.

As sudden as it hit, Michigan now has to move on and prepare for life without him. This is the turning point of the Juwan Howard era where Michigan basketball either swings for the fences and gets better or drags its feet and fades under the constant pressure of relevance.