Hunter Dickinson on Michigan basketball: “I needed something new”

Hunter Dickinson was the star of the Michigan basketball program for the past three years, helping Juwan Howard’s Wolverines secure an outright Big Ten title, reach the Elite 8, and make it to the Sweet 16. However, after a sub-par 2022-23 season, the 7-foot-1 center entered the transfer portal and ultimately chose the Kansas Jayhawks as his new team for the upcoming 2023-24 college basketball season. In a recent interview on the ‘Rock Chalk Unplugged’ podcast, Dickinson discussed his decision to leave Michigan, citing his desire for something new.

Hunter Dickinson on transferring from Michigan: “I needed something new”

In this new interview, former Michigan basketball star center Hunter Dickinson elaborated on his choice to depart Ann Arbor via the transfer portal following the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.

“Once the season ended, that’s when I kind of got to thinking about what my next steps were going to be,” Hunter Dickinson said. “I knew that I had an opportunity to, you know, try to test the NBA waters, I knew I could go back to Michigan. Or the NCAA has the transfer portal. That’s been a hot topic nowadays.

“… I just felt like I needed something new,” Hunter Dickinson continued. “I feel like, in three years at Michigan, I did some great things, made some memories there. But I just felt like I wasn’t yet ready for the draft and I wanted to do one more year. Try to win a national championship, try to develop a little bit more. That’s when I decided to enter the transfer portal and just tried to explore new opportunities with that.”

This season, Hunter Dickinson looks to claim a national title with the Kansas Jayhawks, while Juwan Howard’s Wolverines aim to regain their position in the Big Ten and contend for a national title this winter, following their setback in the NIT last season.

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