College basketball's 10 takes: Hunter Dickinson adds to villain … – 247Sports

The next week in the college basketball transfer portal are pivotal. The window to enter closes May 11 but, obviously, many decisions can still be made after the window closes. All eyes are on the decisions from key 2023 NBA Draft entrees. Tuesday’s news that North Dakota State star Grant Nelson plans to enter the transfer portal signals the type of weapons that could become available.
There’s also plenty of players sctudying the transfer portal moves closely, to see if they would be a good fit with what their coaches have assembled.
“I want to be on a roster that has a chance to do something big — win a national title,” Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. “I hope if I do come back that we will have a more veteran team and a chance of being a really great team.”
Get the latest football and basketball transfer portal news from 247Sports.
Make no mistake — plenty of coaches will point toward transfer portal moves to help improve the sell to key potential returners.
Editor’s note: 247Sports’ college basketball writer Isaac Trotter takes a deep dive into the college basketball slate with notes, takeaways and statistical oddities that jump out.
An announcement was teased. Roundball, a podcast that Dickinson regularly appears on, asked for more YouTube subscribers to potentially speed up the drop of an episode where, presumably, Hunter Dickinson would unveil his next destination. Everything pointed toward Dickinson not returning to Michigan next season. The only real question was where. Dickinson, the best villain in college basketball, has a significant number of people waiting with bated breath for a decision.
The number of YouTube subscribers skyrocketed. The episode was finally released (albeit a little late) and the views rolled in.
That decoyed “decision” — yeah, it never came.

“I do hate how people think I’m trying to just drag this along,” Dickinson said. “If I knew where I was going, I would’ve happily made the decision sooner. I really am struggling trying to pick a school. … I know I’ll succeed at any four of them, but it’s kind of just where I feel the most comfortable.”
Should we have expected anything different from the same cat who slammed former Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon for not recruiting him, called Wisconsin fans “scumbags,” described Illinois fans as “pretty annoying,” and owns a 3-point celebration that often generates a stern word from an official at least twice a month? Nah.
I love it.
Sure, the whole schtick Tuesday was slightly annoying. The “wake me up when Dickinson makes up his mind” crowd is justified. Not a fan of this new era of college basketball and player empowerment? I get it.
But more polarizing personalities are good for college basketball. The interest in the sport in early May feels even more heightened than it was during the Final Four. Maybe that speaks to our love for “free agency” or the idea of what a roster could look like next season, but it’s just the reality.
Wednesday came and went without the official announcement, but Dickinson noted he would unveil is final decision Thursday.
This time, he was true to his word.
Dickinson picked Kansas. It’s the perfect basketball fit. It gives him plenty of chances for more villain moments, too.
Cal and Kansas are heavily involved for prized Texas Tech wing Jaylon Tyson. But he has a decision to make, because his job description at Kansas would be much different than at Cal. Mark Madsen has done a phenomenal job upgrading the talent at Cal in a hurry, but there’s a massive hole on the wing for Tyson to fill. If Tyson wants to be a star, Cal offers him that chance.
If Tyson is OK sacrificing his personal stats to be a piece of a National Championship contender, Kansas is the logical destination.
The 247Sports’ Crystal Ball picks have started to pour in, and it’s pretty obvious which profession is more attractive for Tyson.
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl ventured into the 2023 transfer portal cycle and needed to hit big in the backcourt. That became even more of a priority when Wendell Green Jr. opted to pursue a professional career. FIU transfer guard Denver Jones was an enormous addition, but Auburn appears to be on the verge of another splashy get.
The Tigers have made a strong impression on heavily sought-after Vanderbilt transfer Tyrin Lawrence. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard averaged 13.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists this past season. He was one of the SEC’s best drivers, and Lawrence converted at the rim (69.4%, according to CBB Analytics) at a sky-high rate.
Lawrence picked up a 247Sports Crystal Ball selection for Auburn Wednesday. Add Lawrence to a Tigers backcourt of Jones, five-star Aden Holloway, K.D. Johnson and Tre Donaldson, and suddenly, Pearl has five lead guards who all have some real juice.
Auburn still has to navigate some big stay-or-go decisions from frontcourt monsters like Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome, but the Tigers’ offensive ceiling could be much higher in 2023-24 thanks to its new-look backcourt.
Getting one of Max Abmas or Tylor Perry was a massive objective for Kansas State to replace the brilliant Markquis Nowell. Job well done. Jerome Tang and the Kansas State staff had a boatload of connections with Perry, and he hopped on board Tuesday. It’s a hand-in-glove fit for both sides. Perry gets a shot to be a lead guard in the Big 12, and Kansas State can keep the party going. Perry is not the same passing wizard as Nowell, but he has similar in-the-gym range. Perry shot 41% from 3-point range last season.
Most importantly, Perry is a stone-cold winner who will not detract anything from prized returner Cam Carter. The Carter-Perry combination should be extremely productive for Tang and Kansas State next season. Kansas State will keep a spot open for Keyontae Johnson who is going through the 2023 NBA Draft process, but Tang has answered his biggest offseason question. The work is not done, but K-State can sleep really well knowing its backcourt will be one of the best in the country.
The grass is not always greener. Choosing to stay while others test the transfer portal waters can be boring, but super impactful. A few players have already made a wise choice to run it back next season.
Chuck O’Bannon Jr., TCU: The 6-foot-6, 215-pound wing will return to TCU for his seventh (!) season of college basketball. O’Bannon is a serviceable defender who doesn’t turn it over and is super comfortable taking big shots. TCU won’t turn down another year from a reliable, high-floor rotation piece.
Dylan Disu, Texas: Disu can help improve his stock tremendously if he can stay healthy and prove he can be a go-to scorer for a full season. The flashes of brilliance last year from Disu were tantalizing. His late-season heater made Texas a force to be reckoned with. But he has a golden opportunity to be a featured scorer regardless of who Texas adds via the portal.
Pop Isaacs, Texas Tech: Isaacs would have commanded a ton of interest if he chose to enter the transfer portal like many of his Texas Tech teammates after the Mark Adams saga. But Isaacs, wisely, bought in to the vision of new Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland. Isaacs has the starting point guard role with his name all over it in 2023-24 for a new coach who has proven he can elevate talented lead guards. Isaacs is due for a monster Year 2.
Zach Freemantle was not-so-quietly one of the best big men in the country last season for Xavier. The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward shook off an early-season suspension and became a monster for new Xavier coach Sean Miller. Freemantle averaged 15.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 58% on 2s and splashing 14 3-pointers. He rated in the 87th percentile in post-up efficiency, according to Synergy. But a late-January foot injury ended his promising season. Xavier advanced to the Sweet 16, but Freemantle could only helplessly watch as Texas blitzed the Musketeers 83-71.
“If (Zach) Freemantle doesn’t get hurt, who knows if (Xavier is) in the Final Four,” eventual National Championship-winning UConn coach Dan Hurley said.
Four Xavier starters are departing, but Freemantle is choosing to return. It completely changes Xavier’s floor-ceiling combination in 2023-24. Freemantle is an All-Big East caliber forward who can be the face of the program in 2023-24. Xavier has done major work in the transfer portal, reeling in Dayvion McKnight (Western Kentucky), Abou Ousmane (North Texas), Logan Duncomb (Indiana) and Quincy Olivari (Rice), but re-recruiting Freemantle will be Miller’s biggest offseason flex.
Indiana’s backcourt picture is still cloudy, and Mike Woodson and company are hard at work in the transfer portal. But Indiana has quietly revamped its frontcourt, via the portal.
OUT: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson and Jordan Geronimo (transferred to Maryland)
IN: Payton Sparks (Ball State), Kel’el Ware (Oregon) and Anthony Walker (Miami)
Prized soon-to-be-sophomore Malik Reneau is expected to be a major piece for the Hoosiers next season. But Reneau, Sparks, Ware and Walker all do something a little different. Sparks is an absolute workhorse grinder who might be Indiana’s best rebounder next season. Ware is drooling in upside. Walker provides some switchability and length defensively. Plus, he embraced his role for Miami’s Final Four team. Reneau’s projects to be a high-level, back-to-the-basket scorer who can finish over any shoulder. Woodson has compiled a frontcourt that is versatile and really deep.
Dylan Andrews got a year in point guard school backing up Tyger Campbell. There’s a world where UCLA could lose Campbell, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Amari Bailey, Jaylen Clark, David Singleton and Adem Bona. But there doesn’t seem to be much panic for Mick Cronin and company. The Bruins have a great sell for Clark and Bona to return, and there’s a real sense that UCLA is ready to hand Andrews the keys and let him shine. Utah transfer Lazar Stefanovic is a strong addition to help bolster UCLA’s catch-and-shoot pieces, but the Bruins have been very quiet in the lead-guard market.
That speaks volumes about what the staff thinks of Andrews. He’s shaping up to be one of the offseason’s big winners.
Former five-star Texas transfer Arterio Morris picked Kansas over DePaul, which really surprised some people throughout the college basketball ecosystem. DePaul offered Morris a chance to have the ball in his hands as much as he wanted. His path to a 28% usage rate was wide open. Morris-to-Kansas is a totally different story.
But it’s an interesting marriage because it’s pretty different from Bill Self’s usual gameplan in the transfer portal. Kansas usually goes after proven pieces in the portal. Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar was a plug-and-play, two-way veteran. Jalen Coleman-Lands, Joe Yesufu, Remy Martin and Isaiah Moss had “done it” at various levels in prior stops.
You have to go back to 2016 for a similar comparison. Kansas landed five-star Malik Newman after he spent his freshman season at Mississippi State. Newman sat out the 2016-17 season (throwback to the days of sitting out a season after transferring) before turning into a monster down the stretch for a Kansas team that advanced all the way to the 2018 Final Four.
The Newman template is what Morris could follow at Kansas. Self clearly buys into Morris’ five-star talent. He flashed real defensive chops last year coming off the bench for Texas. He can be a dynamic scorer in the right system. But it’s different. It’s risky. There’s real blow-up potential. There’s also a world where Morris is the dynamic bucket-getting guard Kansas’ backcourt desperately needed to replace Jalen Wilson, Gradey Dick and McCullar.
Not every team has been active in the transfer portal, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.
Michigan State: A.J. Hoggard and Jaden Akins are going through the NBA Draft process, but both are expected to return. This roster is jam-packed with returners, and it’s talent level will raise thanks to prized recruiting class of Xavier Booker, Jeremy Fears, Coen Carr and Gehrig Normand.
Marquette: Keeping its strong core in place is more valuable than any player Marquette could realistically add in the transfer portal. Tyler Kolek, Kam Jones, Oso Ighodaro and Olivier-Maxence Prosper are the studs, but keeping David Joplin, Sean Jones, Stevie Mitchell, Ben Gold and Chase Ross is just as important, too. The continuity for Marquette is off the charts.
Miami: The ‘Canes won’t be silent in the transfer portal for long. But if Nijel Pack, Norchad Omier and Wooga Poplar are back next year, Miami will be really good.
Arizona: Tommy Lloyd has missed out on some very talented lead-guard options, but it seems like only a matter of time until Arizona makes a portal splash. The sell is too good to go quietly into the night.
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