In this Hearings newsletter:

1. The final days of Dickinson’s recruitment

2. My first-ever offering for premium subscribers

3. Major roster changes coming next

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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.

Breaking Down the Last Few Days of Hunter Dickinson’s Recruitment

As Hunter Dickinson’s decision inched closer toward a conclusion, I Heard stories of confidence, stress, chaos, and outright confusion in the final dramatic days of the season-changing commitment.

Dickinson committed to Kansas on Thursday, May 4. For simplicity, let’s break only break this week of the recruitment down. It was plenty dramatic.

Monday, May 1: Kansas feels good about where it stands with Dickinson, as reports trickle out that he’ll decide the next day. The KU staff hadn’t explicitly been told Dickinson was coming, but they did like their position.

I’m also told Villanova believes Dickinson will commit to Kansas following his visit to Philadelphia. Things looked great with a decision looming.

Tuesday, May 2: Chaos. Dickinson is supposed to record his podcast and an announcement is expected. I am fully anticipating Dickinson to pick Kansas… I even made t-shirts, but then I heard and shared this…

Unfortunately, the Hearing was correct. Something happened that caused the decision to stall. I still don’t know exactly what it was, and I won’t speculate beyond that. This is when chaos unfolded.

Kansas and Bill Self were showing five-star Mackenzie Mgbako (more on him soon) around campus on his official visit while this was going down. Everyone waits on a decision that won’t come. I hear the athletic department is fairly deflated… or just tired.

At one point, I’m told Dickinson won’t announce until the weekend. The date turns into a negotiated and moving target. The day ends with Kansas hoping to know an answer within 24 hours. I wrongly tweet Wednesday is the day we’ll find out. KANSAS got its answer, but the public didn’t.

The confidence isn’t as strong… I’m told no school knows where it stands anymore. KU is clearly in it, but there was some level of unknown lingering.

Wednesday, May 3: Silence. I spend my time fighting with a Maryland reporter on Twitter. Hi, Jeff. 🤣 

It isn’t known yet, but a private jet takes off from Lawrence to Dickinson’s home of Washington D.C., at 12:05pm and lands at 2:15pm CT. It is believed, but not confirmed that Bill Self was on this plane.

Then things change. Rapidly. I hear tomorrow is the day. I tweet the news around 3:30pm CT. A second conversation leads me to believe KU confidence is surging back.

About an hour later, Kyle Cuffe enters the transfer portal. The news comes out about 45 minutes later. Cuffe had been resistant to leave. His transferring means the Jayhawks expect to add not one, but TWO players. This is a major indicator of the good news to come.

Buzz starts to build. Then it crescendos when Dickinson tweets a goodbye message to Michigan around 10:30pm CT. Word of a possible commitment is spreading.. multiple drunk students DM me from the Hawk saying they know someone who knows someone who was told he’s a Jayhawk.

I love Lawrence.

Thursday, May 4: It’s over earlier than anyone expects. Dickinson is a Jayhawk at 9:19am CT.

We good? Always.

New Launch: VIP Discord Channel

Thank you to the 100+ premium subscribers who have voluntarily tipped me. I so appreciate that, and now I want to provide some value in return.

To start, we have created a VIP Discord Channel for more secret scoopage and half-baked rumors. Discord is a modern message board where you can talk live via text, audio, or video. We can talk and watch Hunter Dickinson highlights as a KU community, for example.

The only rule is no sharing secret scoops outside of the Discord (mostly for social media).

How You Join

If you are a premium subscriber, reply to this email or DM me on Twitter. I will get you set up.

If you aren’t a premium subscriber, upgrade below and reply to this email or DM me on Twitter. I’ll get you added.

It currently costs $7 per month or $70 per year. Once I start running exclusive interviews, I’ll change the cost to $10/$100. Current subscribers will be grandfathered in at this price as a thank you!

Major Roster Changes Coming Next

Kansas now has one scholarship open, and five-star Mackenzie Mgbako is looming. Let’s start there.

Mgbako’s visit with KU went very well. He’s supposed to visit Indiana this weekend and Louisville next week. I’m not sure it gets that far.

My Hearing is that we get a decision early next week. Right now if I had to guess, I think he picks Kansas. Guessing with recruiting is a dangerous game, especially with visits remaining.

Mgbako is a 6’8” five-star recruit who recently de-committed from Duke. Kansas could use Mgbako as more a big wing with serious shooting range.

But more roster changes will almost certainly come.

Who Transfers Now?

I expect at least one expected KU player to transfer out or de-committ .. maybe more.

In order of likelihood, here’s how I rank it:

1.  Zuby Ejiofor - He sits behind Dickinson and Ernest Udeh in the depth chart. Ejiofor has too much potential to get buried like that… I’ve heard he has a shot and could be like “an athletic Luke Maye.” I have a hard time seeing Self convince him to stay.

2. Ernest Udeh - The reasoning here is the same as Ejiofor. Udeh can’t be happy about sitting behind a center who will play A LOT of minutes this year. I think Self will work it out, but he has some convincing to do.

3. Chris Johnson and Jamari McDowell - Both incoming freshmen PGs have struggled some in their final year before KU. With Arterio Morris committing, they can’t be thrilled about their playing time prospects.

Here’s the rotation in its current state:

Not Quite Ready: Jamari McDowell, Chris Johnson,

PG: Dajuan Harris

Combo Guard: Elmarko Jackson, Arterio Morris, Nick Timberlake

Big Wings (4): KJ Adams, Marcus Adams, (Mgbako if he commits)

Center: Hunter Dickinson, Ernest Udeh, Zuby Ejiofor

Yup, ScoopsMafia is Pumped 😈