Syracuse Basketball: Blue-bloods in big for No. 1 transfer Hunter Dickinson

Multiple blue-blood programs are reportedly vying for Michigan junior center Hunter Dickinson, who is in the NCAA’s transfer portal and did a Zoom meeting with Syracuse basketball coaches not too long ago.

The 7-foot-1 Dickinson, the top-ranked college player in the transfer portal according to many recruiting services and media outlets, did hold a scholarship offer from the Orange while in high school, and he has connections to the ‘Cuse coaching staff through Dickinson’s Washington, D.C.-based AAU program.

However, the sense I’m getting is that the Orange is a huge long shot for Hunter Dickinson these days, and it’s unclear to me whether the ‘Cuse continues to pursue him.

Equally as important, it’s unclear to me if Dickinson has serious interest in Syracuse basketball at this juncture in his recruitment. Presently, it does seem that a handful of heavyweights in the sport of college basketball are vying for Hunter Dickinson.

Syracuse basketball, unless it gets a visit from Hunter Dickinson, has no shot to win out in his recruitment.

According to numerous reports, including one from college basketball insider Adam Zagoria, Dickinson recently met with Kentucky head coach and ace recruiter John Calipari. Dickinson plans to visit those Wildcats from April 23 to April 25.

Last weekend, Dickinson, who is from Alexandria, Va., took visits to local teams Georgetown and Maryland. The Terrapins recently hired Mike Jones as an assistant coach, and he was the head coach of Hunter Dickinson when he was a star for DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md., as a four-star, top-50 national prospect in the 2020 class.

Per Zagoria’s piece, Dickinson is eyeing a visit to Kansas next week. Other reports have said that Dickinson may also be eyeing a visit to Villanova in the near future.

It’s obviously a huge challenge to attempt to prevail for a top player against the likes of Kansas, Kentucky and Villanova, all three of which I believe are blue-blood teams. Plus throw in the Hoyas and the Terps, two hometown groups for Hunter Dickinson, and the ‘Cuse faces a massive uphill battle.

In the 2022-23 season at Michigan, he averaged 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.8 blocks per game. Hunter Dickinson was an All-American as a freshman and has scored All-Big Ten honors on several occasions.

Head coach Adrian Autry has said landing a veteran center to replace senior Jesse Edwards, who transferred to West Virginia, is a top priority for the Orange’s 2023-24 roster.

I never want to be overly pessimistic, but I do think it’s more likely than not that Syracuse basketball coaches will have to look elsewhere for a transfer center, given that the present suitors for Hunter Dickinson are so impressive.