Hoops Recruiting: Top 2020 C Hunter Dickinson Talks Notre Dame & More
Notre Dame was never going to overlook Hunter Dickinson.
Not only is the 2020 Maryland center a 7-footer with skills and a high ceiling, he also plays at DeMatha Catholic, the alma mater of Irish head coach Mike Brey and associate head coach Rod Balanis.
Notre Dame has continued the DeMatha pipeline recently with former star Jerian Grant and current freshman D.J. Harvey.
So, it was no surprise to see the Irish get an early offer out to Dickinson all of the way back in September of 2016, when he was just a freshman.
Notre Dame has remained a factor as Dickinson has collected offers from schools like Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, South Carolina, USC and Providence since. Several other schools are showing a sincere interest as well.
“I really like Notre Dame,” Dickinson said following a victory at the Spalding HoopHall Classic this past weekend. “It’s like DeMatha College basically with Mike Brey and DJ Harvey.”
Dickinson made the trip out to South Bend back in October along with his DeMatha teammate and fellow Irish target, 2019 guard Justin Moore.
“It was a lot of fun,” Dickinson said. “We saw pretty much the whole campus, went to the football game. It was really fun.
“I think I’m very comfortable with them right now. As I go through the recruiting process, it’ll play itself out.”
The recruiting process hasn’t been too stressful for the sophomore yet, but he knows that’ll change in the coming months and years.
“I really like it right now because not too many coaches can talk to me, so I’m just chilling,” he laughed. “I want to go to some of the campuses and see what they offer and where I fit best.”
The contact will pick up when restrictions are eased in June, but like Notre Dame, some other schools are already working to get in the mix.
“Maryland, they’re like two miles away from DeMatha, so it’s pretty easy to get down there for games,” he said. “They’re really telling me to stay home so my parents can see me. South Carolina, I have a relationship with one of the assistant coaches. Iowa is talking to me, Penn State.”
Dickinson earned Player of the Game honors in DeMatha’s blowout win over Archbishop Molloy at the HoopHall on Sunday, scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in a matchup with five-star 2018 center Moses Brown.
“It was a great feeling,” he said. “I knew I was going to have a tough matchup going against Moses Brown, but I think played really well out there and I gave him a good matchup.
“It was very fun. I think playing against somebody who is just as tall as you helps get a more realistic experience playing at the next level. Everybody is going to be as tall as you there.”