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Hunter Dickinson says he met John Calipari at private airport to discuss Kentucky
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Hunter Dickinson met with Kentucky head coach John Calipari at a private airport in Michigan for multiple hours earlier this week to talk about the possibility of the star big man transferring to play for Coach Cal in Lexington. That meeting led to Dickinson’s decision to take a visit to Kentucky next week.
Dickinson, an All-American at Michigan, is in the transfer portal looking for his next team. He has been heavily linked to Kentucky. On the latest episode of the Roundball Podcast — a pod that Dickinson hosts with several others — he dropped a little bit of insight into Kentucky’s courtship.
“(Calipari) flew up Tuesday to meet with me in Michigan and he talked to me for like two hours,” Dickinson said. “We literally met at the little private airport.”
And then, after their meeting, Calipari jetted off somewhere else.
Such is the life of a coach when the offseason begins and recruiting turns into the only thing that matters.
Dickinson recalls telling Calipari he didn’t think he needed to visit Lexington because he did when he went through the recruiting process out of high school. “It’s not like I’m not interested,” he said. But mention of Kentucky’s new strength coach changed Dickinson’s mind.
Reports on Thursday suggested Dickinson will take a visit to Lexington next week. He said on the Roundball Podcast he’ll be in town on Monday.
Which feels like a sign on the Oscar Tshiebwe front. Insiders have suggested Dickinson’s interest in Kentucky is contingent on Tshiebwe, who is testing the NBA Draft waters, not returning to the team. Dickinson used the phrase “contingent” as well on his podcast.
And though he didn’t outwardly answer any questions about Tshiebwe’s future, he at least hinted at which direction the former Player of the Year is leaning.
“We talked about that situation occurring,” Dickinson said when asked about the possibility of he and Tshiebwe having to share the same frontcourt. “That has a lot to do with me being interested in them at all. So, we talked about that. I don’t really want to say what was said. I don’t want to say what he’s doing because that’s his business. But, obviously, whatever we talked about was good enough for me to take the visit.”
Hunter Dickinson talks about Coach Cal flying up to see him in Michigan and set up a visit to Kentucky. Also insinuates that Oscar is leaving. (via: @roundballpod) pic.twitter.com/WRoGRxiUN8
— Rare Rookies #BBN (@rarerookies) April 20, 2023
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
