Hunter Dickinson revels in trolling rival fans: 'I'd rather just have them hate me'
There’s a reason by Barstool Sports brought on Michigan Wolverines junior center Hunter Dickinson to co-host its college basketball podcast, Roundball. Dickinson is authentically authentic, loves to have fun and is sometimes brash. He embraces his personality and lets it shine, helping make him one of the most popular players in the sport.
Peruse Dickinson’s social media, and see that his pinned Tweet is from March 19, saying: “WE WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO BE HERE THO #STILL DANCING.” That was posted after Michigan, an 11 seed, made its fifth straight Sweet 16 despite having a rocky regular season. At his Sweet 16 press conference in San Antonio, Dickinson trolled rival programs for not making it as far in the Big Dance.
“It’s funny how they’ll be watching us back at their cribs,” Dickinson said at the South Regional.
Scroll down further and see that he retweeted college basketball insider Jon Rothstein‘s tweet announcing that Indiana’s Tracye Jackson-Davis — not Dickinson — was named the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year.
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Keep going and you’ll find Dickinson tweeting, “That was kind of a born on third base win,” after Ohio State football narrowly escaped against Notre Dame Sept. 3, echoing Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh‘s famous “third base” comment after the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes last November.
You get the picture. Dickinson has taken shots — veiled or otherwise — at Big Ten rivals since arriving in Ann Arbor two years ago. He even had Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo irate (it doesn’t take much) when he continually turned to the Spartans’ bench after scoring when he dropped 33 points in a 87-70 win last season.
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Big Ten Network host Dave Revsine asked Dickinson Big Ten Media Days about his poking fun at opposing programs.
“I mean, I know as a Michigan man, no Michigan State fan is ever going to like you. So it’s like, why even try? I’d rather just have them hate me than be average,” Dickinson explained. “For me, it’s funny. I try to be funny, and I have a great time with it. I enjoy making fun of the little brother and Ohio State, so it’s just fun for me.”
Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, a member of the Fab Five, has no problem with Dickinson or any of his other players being vocal, even if it ruffles some feathers.
“I’m comfortable with our young men expressing themselves,” Howard said on the BTN set. “I would never, ever hold anyone back from getting a chance to really communicate on who they are and what they believe in. And this young man right here and the young man that’s next to him and also the other guys on our team, I love them all; I trust them. And that’s the key, and I think they know that.”
