The Kansas Jayhawks had an impressive 2023-24 campaign period unfortunately, down the stretch, injuries and their lack of depth would cut their season short in the Round of 32 in the 2024 men’s basketball championship tournament.
Over the summer, star big man Hunter Dickinson and the rest of the Kansas men’s basketball squad have been diligently preparing for the upcoming year. While addressing the media recently, the Jayhawks center revealed the areas he has been working on to take his game to the next level for the 2024-25 campaign.
“I would say ball handling, shooting, maybe adding a little bit more muscle: those are the top three,” Dickinson said.
Dickinson transferred into the Kansas program last offseason, making his way to Lawrence, KS, after spending the first three years of his collegiate career in Ann Arbor, MI, with the Michigan Wolverines. In his first year under Bill Self, Dickinson averaged a double-double with 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds. He also recorded 3.2 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. Dickinson also stayed consistent with his shooting from beyond the arc, connecting on 35.4% of his three-point attempts. However, his free throw percentage took a bit of a dive, going from 72.7 to 62.4.
Dickinson on preseason polls
Dickinson also spoke about what the summer looks like for Kansas during a recent availability with the media. He said much of it is about coming together as a group to be what everyone thinks they could be. That’s going to take plenty of work by them and Bill Self to make sure what they’ve put together is the kind of team that’s worthy of a top ranking nationally coming in.
“Just continuing to, you know, grow as a team,” said Dickinson. “I think we need to take a couple steps this summer to prepare for the season because we’re going to have another target on our back.”
“Obviously, there are preseason polls but we’re pretty much top-five in most of them – and I think rightfully so because we’ve got a really talented group of guys that potentially could be really good,” Dickinson said. “Obviously, potentially because we’ve got to reach that potential but the pieces are there. We’ve got to try to make sure they fit. I think Coach Self is probably the best in the country at that job.”
Last season didn’t go as planned for Kansas, which finished 23-11, with the losses being its most under Self. However, the team spent much of the year in the Top 10 and won enough games to compete in the NCAA Tournament. Injuries, specifically to Kevin McCullar, really took away from what they could have possibly been in conference play and the postseason.
Now, for ’24-’25, Kansas has put together quite the roster to make up and be once again back in contention.
For the Jayhawks, that starts with returning a core of starters with Dickinson along with Dajuan Harris and KJ Adams. From there, they’ll add seven new names to the team, with five transfers and a pair of freshmen.
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