clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Hunter Dickinson dominant in showdown with nation’s No. 1 recruit

Juwan Howard’s future center won the battle against the No. 1 recruit in the country.

By Von Lozon
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: JAN 20 Spalding Hoophall Classic Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Exactly one month to the day after verbally committing to the Michigan Wolverines, 2020 four-star center Hunter Dickinson put on a show against the No. 1 overall recruit in his class — five-star center Evan Mobley, a USC commit.

Dickinson’s Dematha Catholic squad played against Mobley’s Rancho Christian as a part of the 2020 Hoophall Classic Monday evening. About a minute into the first quarter, Dickinson went down with a nasty looking knee injury.

Thankfully, Dickinson was able to get back into the game to begin the second quarter, and boy did he ever come back in dominant fashion. He began the second quarter scoring 13 consecutive points for his team. In doing so, he showed off some good post moves and his ability to make buckets from beyond the arc.

Later in the game, he was able to draw an and-one against Mobley:

Lastly, he showed off his passing ability. What can’t Dickinson do?

Dickinson finished the night with 28 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. He was named the MVP of the game.

The 7-foot-2, 260-pounder from Hyattsville, Maryland showed a lot last night, but the big thing to me was he showed how tough he is. He limped off the court pretty badly in the first quarter. He took the time to heal up as much as he could and get back into the game to help his team win.

He also had a pretty fire quote in the postgame interview:

“I mean, that’s your guys’ No. 1 prospect, so I just went in there — I feel like I’m better. So I went in there and attacked it and I just played my game. My teammates really found me, they found me in great spots and I just tried to capitalize on it.

SIGN. ME. UP.

There is clearly a lot to like about Dickinson, both on and off the court. He should be a valuable asset to Michigan right away next season. By the time he gets acclimated to everything freshmen have to get used to, he should be the No. 1 center on the depth chart. He has a load of potential and could easily be a guy that plays for a year or two and then heads to the NBA Draft.

Next Up In Michigan Basketball