In this Hearings newsletter:

1. A special announcement 🔥

2. Q&A about the real Hunter Dickinson 😎

3. What’s next after Ernest Udeh’s transfer🤨

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EVERYTHING IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS BASED UPON WHAT I AM HEARING FROM PEOPLE I TRUST. PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR FACT OR FOR ACTUAL JOURNALISM, WHICH HAS VERIFICATION STANDARDS THAT I HAVE NOT ADHERED TO. I DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT.

LIVE TWITTER SPACES WITH HUNTER DICKINSON AND ANT WRIGHT TODAY @ 4:30pm CT.

I will be LIVE with Hunter Dickinson and former Michigan basketball player/hoops analyst Ant Wright (explained below) on Twitter spaces today at 4:30pm CT. You can set a reminder here.

As a thank you, I will try to ask questions from as many premium subscribers as possible, either via the Discord or if you email me. I may only get a few in, but I’ll try.

"Everyone's going to hate him in the conference": The Real Hunter Dickinson

I’m fired up to bring you this Q&A with former Michigan basketball player/hoops analyst Ant Wright. Beyond being a hoops junkie and hilarious person, Wright knows Dickinson well and spoke to him throughout the transfer process. His insight is both valuable and fun.

He’s a must-follow on Twitter @itsAntWright.

The Q&A:

When Hunter asks you about Kansas, what's your first reaction?

I said it makes sense. When it came to Kansas, I told him ‘first of all, basketball school. Second of all, I talk with someone that’s close with Gradey Dick, and one thing Gradey said was ‘they’ll treat you like a king at Kansas.’ I relayed that to him as well. I was like, ‘it’s gonna be mad different, bro.’ [Hunter] said ‘Michigan football is Kansas basketball.’

I hit him back, ‘it is, but it’s amplified because there’s only a small group of you. Not hundreds [of players.]’

What about the Kansas roster?

I knew he was really into Kansas early on. I told him I love Dajuan Harris. I love that point guard. I love that dude so much. I think he’s one of the most important players in college basketball. He’s more of a f. Not everyone can be Dame, Steph Curry, Donovan Mitchell. That’s not him. I told Hunter, ‘he’s gonna be the general. He has all these weapons around him. He’s gonna make sure all these weapons are pointed in the right direction.’

I was very honest with him throughout the process. Early on, I didn’t know where the shooting is going to come from. I wasn’t sure about the spacing. Sure enough, they went out and got Timberlake. That dude can really shoot the ball, but they needed more. They went out and got Arterio Morris. Arterio didn't play much at Texas, but his film really pops. It really pops. I wanted to go back and watch every single shot he took at Texas, and I didn’t want to like him, but I came away very impressed. All he needs is 25-30 minutes with more touches, and that dude could be really really good.

Ultimately, what separated Kansas from Villanova because – I will say this, sorry Kansas fans — if you take Hunter and put him on both Villanova and Kansas, I would take Villanova's roster.

I think Bill Self was was what put him over the top with Kansas, honestly.

Why was Self the difference maker?

Does he want to risk [Kyle] Neptune at Villanova or go with a coach who just won a National Championship? He’s been very successful over the last 20 years. Bill Self was on his own tier if you wanted to rank all the coaches of his options for next season.

Any stories about Bill recruiting him?

I will admit one of my concerns was about was Bill Self’s health. I wanted to know if he’s good. Is he going to be Hunter’s coach next year? Hunter right away shut that down, he was like, ‘oh, no, no, no. He’s good. He’s good.’

That was my only real question for him about Bill Self. I know he’s elite, but I had to ask those questions. I don’t want him to go to a situation where it’s not what he was sold on. He shot it down right away.

What should KU fans know about Hunter?

Oh, man. Everyone's going to hate him in the conference. Everyone. EVERYONE. I can't even begin to talk to explain. He's like nobody you've ever seen before. Imagine Tyler Hansbrough and how people hated him, but then imagine if Tyler Hansborough would gesture and cuss out a coach from another team, or have the most obscene celebrations while having soundbites after the game about what transpired. He wears his emotions on his sleeve.

They played Maryland [his freshman year], and I kid you not, Hunter killed Maryland. After every field goal, he stared down Mark Turgeon.

Every field goal, free throws, fouls, dunks, hook shots. He wouldn’t even run correctly because he was too busy flexing in front of him.

It got so bad that after that season, Mark Turgeon complained that he was getting bullied by Michigan.

What’s gonna happen when you put him in the Fieldhouse then?

You guys are gonna play, like, Nebraska, Omaha, or somebody in the first game, and he’s gonna be like doing like jack-off gestures or something. It’s gonna be wild.

He’s gonna pump ‘em up, he’s gonna scream, he’s gonna yell… and then he’s really good.

Oh, he's even worse at road games. Don’t let him hit two shots in a row or you're going to hear about it. Oh, my goodness

Any concern about B1G to Big 12 transition?

It doesn't matter. He's going to be good. He’s just one of those guys.

He’s really hard to guard. Remember Cole Aldrich? He’s like that big, but a little taller. You can feed him on the block, and you can also put him at the mid-post to iso, he can also pick-and-pop, and he can hit trail threes.

I can’t wait to see how Bill Self takes his game to another level. I think he could be a first, or second-team All-American. I can’t wait to see how he’s utilized. Bill Self has been really good at adjusting these last several years.

For him to land in your lap as a senior is absolutely insane.

How will Bill be different than Juwan? Bill can be tough…

The biggest thing was going to be holding him to higher standards and holding him accountable right away. I think early on they're going to make sure he's playing the right way, seeing the right things, and if he doesn’t, there's going to be consequences for that.

Hunter has the ability to stretch the floor, he has an underrated handle against guys who are bigger. He has a two-to-three dribble bag where he can get to his spots.

He’s a really good passer, he did this one play against Purdue, it was like an awkward rebound, he caught it with one hand and passed it underneath the hoop for a dunk.

Note: Watch the play at 1:34 in the video below.

What do you want to see from Hunter’s defense?

You can't teach being 7’2”. Just play big. Show your hands, you can be a nuisance without fouling, right? Play to his size, with a strong body, block it when you can and look to alter.

What kind of teammate is Hunter? Is he vocal, or does he let others take that role?

When it comes to leadership, just from my standpoint, he would much rather someone else take those reigns. I think having someone like Harris takes the pressure off him. He's best at being Hunter.

So how would you describe ‘being Hunter’? 

Just having fun, loving basketball like that. That dude loves basketball. He loves to compete.

Back to that Maryland game with Turgeon… one of the coaches I had growing up also coached Hunter. After that Maryland game, I hit the coach up, like, ‘what’s going on? Why is he so mad at Maryland?’”

He hits me back, ‘he’s been doing this since middle school. This isn’t anything new. That’s just Hunter.’

A Quick Ernest Udeh Update

Ernest Udeh entered the transfer portal today, sending KU fans into a frenzy. I hope to have more information tomorrow. There’s a ton of information to sort through right now, and will I share what I hear when I’m confident in the information.

Here’s what I’m Hearing as of Thursday morning:

• Despite what anyone else reports, I’ve Heard Kansas was well aware that losing both Udeh and Zuby Ejiofor was possible when adding Dickinson.

• I have no reason to change my confidence in Mackenzie Mgbako being a Jayhawk tomorrow.

• Yes, KU is recruiting 2024’s No. 1 center in Flory Bidunga. I’m Hearing it’s unlikely he reclassifies to join the team this season.

• I don’t think Udeh or Ejiofor are likely to reverse course and return to KU.

• I haven’t yet heard any new names for upcoming transfer portal visitors, but I am sure KU is working on making it happen right now.

This is all still developing. As always, I’ll keep you posted with what I’m Hearing. Thank you for spreading the scoop.