Hunter Dickinson had superb regular-season Jayhawk debut ... and even hit some 3s
Hunter Dickinson, a 7-footer who in Kansas’ 2023-24 season opener showed the touch of a shooting guard from beyond the arc, flailed his arms above his head and waved to the crowd while backpedaling on defense.
That came after KU’s preseason All-American sunk his third 3-pointer in as many attempts with 12:40 left in the first half of KU’s 99-56 victory over North Carolina Central on Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
“(I) had to do something after that one, right?’’’ Dickinson said as he exited the interview room after scoring 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting (3-of-3 from 3 and 2-of-2 from the line) in his official KU debut.
The Michigan transfer grabbed eight rebounds and dished five assists against no turnovers while blocking two shots in 24 minutes. He scored the first seven points of the game and 15 of KU’s first 33 points as the Jayhawks blazed to a 33-11 lead to the delight of a crowd of 16,300 that included his mom Kathy and dad Tim.
“It was fun. I was telling somebody I’m used to the opposing fans being this loud with more boos than cheers. It was fun for me to have people on my side for once,” Dickinson said.
“The atmosphere was insane. I’ve been hearing about it in my recruiting, when I committed here. Ever since I’ve been here I’ve heard so much about Allen Fieldhouse and the fans. It lived up to it tonight. It was a great experience and atmosphere.”
Dickinson had 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the first half, as KU blazed to a 59-18 halftime advantage. He played 16 minutes the first half, eight the second.
“He makes it extremely difficult. Literally, he looked like a man playing against boys,” said North Carolina Central coach LeVelle Moton. “Twenty-one and eight ... he probably could have had 30 and 15 if coach (Bill) Self left him. He’s going to be a problem for everyone.
“I have good familiarity with Hunter with USA Basketball. I know what he’s capable of. I’ve been telling our kids how well he can shoot the ball. He set the tone, gave the other guys confidence.”
Of Dickinson, KU coach Self said: “He and Kevin (McCullar, 22 points including four 3s in seven attempts on a night KU was 13-of-23 from 3) got us off to a great start. Hunter missed his first shot then made eight in a row. He was perfect basically the first half.”
Dickinson hit 7 of 8 first-half shots.
“He’s not shot well beyond the arc consistently. He’s a good 3-point shooter. He thought every one was going in tonight. That’s good to see,” Self stated.
Dickinson spent a good portion of his postgame interview session discussing KU’s balanced attack. McCullar led the way with 22 points, followed by Dickinson (21), Nick Timberlake (13), KJ Adams (12), Parker Braun (10), Elmarko Jackson (8) and Johnny Furphy (6).
KU had 21 assists on 22 baskets the first half and 34 assists on 39 baskets for the game. Dajuan Harris had 10 assists, no points and no shot attempts.
“I think at one point we had 19 field goals off 18 assists,” Dickinson said. “I think that speaks to how unselfish we are as a team.”
KU shot 69.6% for the game (39-of-56), the highest shooting percentage by a KU team since Jan. 9, 1997, vs. Niagara (72.1%). KU’s 78.6% shooting percentage in the first half (22-of-28) was the highest since the second half of that Niagara game (79.2%).
Kansas dished 34 assists, which marked the most for KU since Nov. 26, 1999, vs. Xavier, when the Jayhawks had a program-record-tying 36 assists. It was the most assists in Allen Fieldhouse since Dec. 9, 1989, vs. Kentucky (36).
Kansas had 21 assists in the first half to tie a program record for a half (Jan. 14, 1993, vs. Oral Roberts and Dec. 9, 1989, vs. Kentucky).
“It’s fun out there when guys are sharing the ball with everybody. It makes it so much easier for guys. Guys don’t have to force stuff and can let the game come to them,” Dickinson said. “That opens it up, especially with the offense we run. It’s free flowing, guys making hard drives, making hard cuts. It goes to show you why we made so many shots. We took a lot of good ones.”
Self was pleased with the offense after an exhibition season that included a loss to Illinois and win over Fort Hays State. KU hit 9 of 40 threes combined in the two practice contests.
“Our body movement was so much better. We played with so much more enthusiasm, passion,” Self said.
KU will next meet Manhattan at 7 p.m., Friday, at Allen Fieldhouse. For that game, it is expected freshman guard Jamari McDowell, who did not suit up Monday, will be available.
McDowell has a minor injury, Self indicated.
“He got his bell run pretty good other day (at practice),” Self said. “I don’t know if he can practice tomorrow. He should be able to practice by Wednesday. If that’s the case we can anticipate him being available to us this weekend.”
This story was originally published November 6, 2023 at 11:20 PM.
