Bill Self: Hunter Dickinson looks to be the ‘most talented’ big he’s coached

By SAM LANCE

Kansas head coach Bill Self loves his bigs. Feeding the post and playing inside-out has been a Self staple since he arrived at Kansas in 2003, and the style has played a big part in the Jayhawks’ 16 Big 12 titles since Self took over.

Self has coached several talented centers during his tenure at Kansas including names like Cole Aldrich, Joel Embiid and Udoka Azibuike. And most recently, Self had David McCormack — who hit two post-hook shots in the final minute of the 2022 National Championship to secure Self his second title.

But as great as those centers were for Kansas, Self thinks this year’s big man — Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson — may be even better.

“He is, I would say, the most skilled and most talented offensive player that I’ve had from a center type standpoint offensively,” Self said at Big 12 media day on Wednesday.

Dickinson — the 7-foot-2, 260-pound big man and former No. 1 ranked transfer — comes to Kansas with three years of experience already under his belt.

As a freshman in 2020-21, Dickinson was a consensus All-America Second Team selection while averaging 14.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Each of the last two seasons, Dickinson has averaged more than 18 points and eight rebounds per game.

“There’s a lot of things he’s got to get a lot better at defensively and guarding ball screens and protecting the rim or the paint and a lot of other things,” Self said. “But from a shooting, aggressiveness, passing, playing out
of doubles, he probably is as advanced as anybody I’ve ever been around. And he is without question the most equipped to have a big year for a first-year player.”

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