Updated 7:20 p.m. Tuesday:
Salt Lake City — Kansas center Hunter Dickinson was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press Tuesday morning, the organization announced.
A transfer from Michigan, the senior served as one of the Big 12 Conference’s leaders in scoring and rebounding all season, tallying an average of 18.0 points and 10.8 rebounds — the only player in the league averaging a double-double — to go along with 1.4 blocks per game. He was previously named the league’s newcomer of the year.
Dickinson had also been named a second-team AP All-American following his freshman season in 2021, a year after which he considered entering the draft but returned to school. He spent two additional years with the Wolverines before joining Kansas prior to the 2023-24 season.
KU coach Bill Self said it was a great honor for Dickinson.
“I personally think if we’d have been healthy down the stretch, Hunt would have for sure been a first-team All-American,” he added, “but our team kind of faltered and I think a lot of that’s based on team success too.”
Guard Kevin McCullar Jr., who started the year playing at an All-American pace, including a stretch of back-to-back triple-doubles, was named an honorable mention. He has been slowed by a knee bruise the past two months and missed six intermittent games as a result, and Self said Tuesday he will not be able to play in the NCAA Tournament.
“He had no chance to do better than honorable mention considering how much action he missed, probably, but they both had good years,” Self said.
McCullar, who decided to return to KU in late May after testing his own draft prospects, aimed all offseason to become a more confident and aggressive team leader. He delivered for much of the year to the tune of 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while also serving as one of the anchors of the Jayhawks’ defense.
His scoring numbers were up from about 10 points per game each of his last three seasons, two at Texas Tech and one at KU.
Dickinson was also hurt — he dislocated his shoulder in a blowout loss at Houston March 9 — but Self said he has been practicing ahead of KU’s first-round NCAA Tournament matchup against Samford, set for 8:55 p.m. Central Time on Thursday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
The AP’s first team consists of North Carolina’s RJ Davis, Purdue’s Zach Edey, Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, UConn’s Tristen Newton and Houston’s Jamal Shead. The second team features Dickinson, Duke’s Kyle Filipowski, Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II, Marquette’s Tyler Kolek and Alabama’s Mark Sears. And the third team includes Auburn’s Johni Broome, San Diego State’s Jaedon LeDee, Arizona’s Caleb Love, Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman and Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr.
According to the AP’s announcement, “Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves and Kansas’ Kevin McCullar Jr. finished right behind Shannon to stand as the leading vote-getters among players who didn’t make the All-America teams.” There were 21 honorable mentions in total.
Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (15) drives against Kansas State guard Cam Carter (5) during the first half on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024 at Bramlage Coliseum. Photo by Nick Krug
