Per ESPN, Hunter Dickenson to the portal (or, "For every Yin, there must be a Yang")
Sorry to share this news on Jadyn day.
I've been thinking he'd be a grand slam hire as well
I think at least 50 other programs are thinking the same thing.
I know, right? It's ridiculous how all these other Big Ten teams are just absolutely thriving right now, yet Juwan can't seem to have the same success.
... oh, wait ...
Juwan was handed a built program and can’t even keep his son on the roster two years.
He wasn't handed anything. A guy quit, and Juwan took his spot.
And yeah, it sucks that Juwan keeps putting so many guys in the NBA. A good coach would be actively trying to get non-NBA talent, right?
Sweet. We are poor man’s Kentucky. That’s not Michigan basketball. I want to win! Fuck the NBA draft. Build a roster that isn’t in flux every year and wins!!! Having both Houstan and Diabate leave after one year and not having a good plan B after they left was horrible roster management.
While I agree that Juwan's roster construction hasn't been optimal, this comment just isn't smart. Jett was the "plan B" for Houstan leaving and no one in their right mind thought Diabate was a one-and-done quality player (BTW, he still isn't... likely out of pro ball at least in America in 3 years).
He needed to keep Jett on the roster more than a year.
I think Bufkin's decision will have the single biggest impact. I appreciate Hunter's time here but not heart broken to see him leave. You're up Reed.
This is where I am. Thanks for everything but I wasn't looking to watching another season of trying to toss the ball into him at the post every possession. Need another look.
He's just not that efficient/dominant on a consistent basis. He watched his peers in TJD and Edey take it to the next level and he didn't. Reed looks awesome. I won't say addition by subtraction, but I don't think it's even close to the loss Bufkin would be given the roster.
They took it to the next level with hard work in the off season while HD became a podcast star.
We'll certainly have another look. But not being able to score from near the basket brings its own problems. Having the option of tossing the ball to a pretty reliable big in the post helps open up the perimeter. If we had more consistent mid- and long-range shooters, we probably wouldn't have seen as much collapsing onto and doubling Dickinson.
Rutgers is a perfect example. He refused to pass it back out of the post though.
Disagree. This a huge loss. As bad as the team got, he gave them a decent floor and a shot to stay in almost every game. Kobe, Jett, and dug had to make up the rest. He didn't improve much but in Big Ten, he was really good. Gonna be a tough hole to fill but Reed looked like he could be great.
I agree with GoBlue96 that too much of our offense was designed around Hunter and he was also not a great defender. Mostly I feel good about Reed, but I'm ready to see Michigan without Hunter despite all he has accomplished. I think he feels the same way. Just doesn't feel right anymore.
I think Hunter gave Michigan a floor, but limited the ceiling. A lot of what Juwan wants to do on both ends depends on a big man who can move. Just like when Juwan was at Miami, he was the one who brought Bam along and pushed out Whiteside. Reed is not Bam Adebayo, but he can play that role (in college). Hunter was more Whiteside-like. Even though Hunter could shoot a three, he was awful at rolling to the rim, so you couldn't really develop a pick/pop/roll threat. When he posted up, you couldn't drive, bc his man was in the paint. I think it's a big reason why Michigan was so stagnant on offense when Hunter wasn't winning his matchup inside. Defensively, it was obvious Hunter was a giant liability. Juwan would prefer to switch much more, or at least hedge with his big. Hunter constantly just dropped back to the rim and left giant voids off of screens. And the most perplexing thing, was Hunter being an awful rebounder despite being 7'.
Will the team be better next year? Probably not. But this helps Dug and Reed immensely. I think with Hunter, we're probably mediocre next year, and then mediocre again the year after he would've left. We'd be changing styles after next year instead of this year. I think a year of Dug and Reed playing a new style, makes the ceiling for the following years better.
Yep. This is spot on. HD is good but given where we are, it is probably the best for both parties.
You said it better than I could. We will almost certainly be worse outside of getting lucking in the portal, but the team needed a reset to head in a different direction.
Ugh... not sure if this is a bigger indictment against Howard or Michigan NIL. Either way the basketball program does not seem to be in a good place right now.
This is a surprise to me just because I'm not sure there's a raft of better spots for him. I do wonder if he considers returning, but if not good luck to him. Feels like Bufkin is also likely to be gone so this will be a brand new team next year.
I saw one tweet saying possible options include Georgetown, Maryland and Virginia. Maybe he wants to play closer to home for a season before heading off to Europe.
If he's aiming to win a title (listed reason above why he's leaving), would Georgetown or Maryland even be considerations?
Maryland was a top 20 kenpom team this year, is bringing back a first team all big point guard and a better recruiting class than Michigan
Maryland was the 10th oldest team in the country last year. They'll return some talent in Young but they've already lost Hart and may well lose Scott as well.
Dickinson would make them better but I'm not sure he'd turn them into a top-tier contender. Though he would probably be one of their best outside shooters, as crazy as that is to say.
Because he's not aiming to win a title, lol.
Yeah, from a location perspective that makes sense. But none of those teams are likely going to be world-beaters next year. Maybe Virginia but I'm not sure Dickinson really meshes with their defense-first focus, though he would give them a consistent offensive identity for the first time in a while.
Georgetown and Maryland are not title contenders and the Maryland fans absolutely hate him and would turn on him in a second the minute he doesn't perform.
Maryland fans would love him. The prodigal son returns! That’s biblical.
You should know that love and hate, are the same emotion. Every fan outside Detroit hated Laimbeer, but would love to have him.
You should know that love and hate, are the same emotion. Every fan outside Detroit hated Laimbeer, but would love to have him.
Hunter going to Maryland would be so ridiculous after all the trash talk over 3 years.
Virginia runs a terrible offensive system that focuses on defense.
I don't know much about Georgetown but went 7-25 this year. Does not really suggest a good opportunity for him.
They do have a different coach. Turgeon is gone so I could see there being less bad blood now. Most of his ire was directed towards Turgeon I thought.
That makes sense. He did seem more composed against them this year.
FWIW I saw someone make the comment “well at least I don’t have to pretend to like him anyone.”
Well he was an a-hole, but he was OUR a-hole, now he'll just be an a-hole.
Called it that we get 6 guys in portal by may . It’s happening
Whoooooo. 6 guys who couldn't get minutes on better teams or who are up-transferring. YAY!!!
Based on the first guy in that's terrifying
Okay, so when do we get the news that Bryce Underwood has committed to Michigan?
Does Jadyn play hoops?
Although Hunter has left multiple times already since the announcement and is likely slated to leave again before dinner, we will try to keep all the leaving in one central thread.
I'll remember him fondly for dunking on the entire OSU team in 2021
If you want to get depressed watch that game. That team was unbelievable and with a healthy Livers we could have won it all. Beating the Zags and Baylor would have been tough but that team could have done it.
Now we are…well…not good at this whole basketball thing
hockey school
The Beilein years were special. Really deserved the title the year Pirino’s hooker/blow squad beat us in the finals.
I now realize how I took those years for granted. I will not do
the same with this era of Harbaugh/UM football
Oh hell. Can we let the Beilein shit go?
He (as in John Beilein and no one else) left Michigan. Not the other way around. He had some great teams but not all of them were spectacular. Also he's never coached in the age of NIL or the "transfer portal" which I think most of us can agree is wildly different than say... 4 or 5 years ago.
That said, I do wonder about Juwann's roster structure/management and his plan b for when this shit happens. I think Juwann is a stand up guy and forgive me for saying this but I don't think he's going down with the sinking ship considering the offers he had (and likely still has) pre-UM.
Uh, what are you responding to? The post your comment is filed under talks about how it's important not to take for granted the good run we had under Beilein, and re-emphasizes the point by making the (entirely wise) comparison to the Harbaugh years now and how we should treasure them.
(And it is spelled with one "N.")
Yes, thanks for clarifying sjking.
I was just saying to enjoy what we have while we have it. We may or may not be entering a new golden era of UM football…signs point to yes as long as Harbaugh remains.
We should enjoy the past two years and anything else accomplished under this regime going forward.