Michigan center Hunter Dickinson, one of the most productive big men in the country, announced Sunday he will return to the Wolverines for his junior season.
Dickinson, a two-time All-Big Ten selection, had declared for the NBA draft after last season before withdrawing. There was speculation he could enter the draft again this spring, but he opted not to submit his name before the Sunday night deadline.
A 7-foot-1 center, Dickinson has helped lead Michigan to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances during his two seasons with the Wolverines. He was one of the best freshmen in the country in 2020-21, averaging 14.1 points and 7.4 rebounds, while shooting 59.8% from the field. Dickinson was even more impressive as a sophomore, putting up 18.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists — showing much-improved passing ability to help deal with increased attention from opposing defenses.
He was at his best late in the season. Dickinson went for 33 points and nine rebounds in a key win over Michigan State on March 1 — a win that helped improve the Wolverines’ NCAA tournament résumé. And once in the tournament, he was dominant. Dickinson averaged 21.0 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in three tournament games as Michigan reached the second weekend of the NCAA tournament despite being an 11-seed.
Juwan Howard and the Wolverines now await decisions from two more starters, Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate. The two freshman frontcourt players are both ranked in the 60s of ESPN’s NBA draft rankings, but neither has publicly announced his draft intentions.