The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1468055
JUNE / JULY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 9 BY ANTHONY BROOME H unter Dickinson's return to U-M was the biggest headline for the men's hoops program in the immediate after- math of the offseason. However, his thoughts on an ever-chang- ing college sports landscape made waves of their own. D i c k i n so n wa s pa r t o f a roundtable discussion that in- cluded Purdue head coach Matt Painter, Missouri State head coach Dana Ford and agent Zack Charles on the Field of 68 podcast network on May 4. Among the topics covered were the transfer portal and how it crosses over with NIL. Dickin- son gave a blunt assessment of the situation. "It does feel like free agency out there," he said. "I think that is one thing, team chemistry- wise, it's hard to get that chem- istry because you know at least five people on your team are go- ing to be brand new. From re- cruiting high school kids or from the transfer portal. It's so rare for a team to lose nobody in the portal nowadays. Kids want a bigger role. "I guess kids are just having a tough time buying into the role or the devel- opment. Nowadays, even with our team, some kids are struggling to stay with the process and develop under coaches. It's like one year, 'Alright, I'm out. I'm going to try and find someone who is going to give me that bigger role that I'm search- ing for.'" Despite the madness, NIL has been a positive for the athletes. Dickinson's return to Michigan was directly im- pacted by his earnings potential as a college star compared to a lower con- tract and the uncertainty about an NBA fit. "I think NIL was pretty big for college hoops," Dickinson said. "A lot of people complain about how the stars aren't staying enough in college basketball. Without NIL, a lot of the top players who have already announced they're coming back probably would've stayed in the draft or at least tested it. "You see guys like [North Carolina center Armando Bacot] and [Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe], even myself, who didn't even try to test because we feel like the situation we have coming back with NIL gives us another chance to be able to de- velop. We feel like it was the best decision for us. It's been bigger than what people expected." With the changes to the land- scape over the last year or so, concerns exist that the lower- tier and mid-major programs serve as minor leagues to the Power Five, where there is greater earning potential. Dick- inson sees it from both sides. Promises and commitments are not always kept by a player's first program. "I knew once I got to col- lege, I was staying there," Dick- inson said. "My older brother played Division I college bas- ketball, and he went to four dif- ferent schools in five years. For me, I knew wherever I was go- ing, I was staying. I understand it from a player's perspective. I've got friends who go to one school, and the coaches gave them promises that they didn't ful- fill. Certain situations happened, and they're trying to move on, and they're going to try grass greener somewhere else. "I can understand where mid-major coaches are coming from. You want your players to succeed and be great. In a cer- tain sense, you don't want them to be too good. After one year, they're like, 'Well, I'm done with this. I wanna go play at a high-major [school] so NBA scouts will pay attention to my numbers more.' If you're getting 20 [points] at a mid-ma- jor, it's harder because the NBA scouts just don't compare it as much." ❏ Inside Michigan ATHLETICS Hunter Dickinson Sounds Off On Transfer Portal, NIL: 'It Does Feel Like Free Agency' Michigan center Hunter Dickinson, who is returning for his junior season in 2022-23, has concerns about where things are headed nationally with roster building. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL