Louisville basketball extends offer to five-star big man Hunter Dickinson

Louisville basketball has been over the last few days on the recruiting trail. Their latest offer was a giant one.

Chris Mack and the Louisville basketball staff have been extremely busy over the last 48-72 hours, spending the live period recruiting at the Nike EYBL event in Atlanta.

The Cards watched over a dozen prospects this past weekend, offering two scholarships, one to four-star wing Earl Timberlake the other to four-star guard AJ Hoggard.

As of now, Louisville will have at least four scholarships available in the class of 2020, and one of their biggest needs is at the center spot. The latest offers that have gone out from Mack show that he believes he is capable of landing the elite prospects in the class of 2020, which shouldn’t be a surprise seeing as how the Cards put together one of the best 2019 classes in the country.

Already pursuing five star big men Isaiah Jackson, who recently said Louisville wanted him “really bad,” as well as Zach Loveday, Chris Mack has continued to seek out the right fit for his program, extending a “giant” offer last night.

That offer was to five-star center, Hunter Dickinson, who plays for DeMatha Catholic High School in the DC area, and just so happens to be a teammate of Earl Timberlake.

247 Sports rates Dickinson as the fourth best center in the class of 2020 and currently has him as the 23rd best player in the entire class. He currently holds offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Purdue, Alabama, Florida State, Oregon, and has received interest from several blue blood programs including North Carolina, Duke, and Kentucky.

When you take a look at Dickinson’s game it’s not hard to tell why he’s one of the best big men in the entire class. First off, his size is off the charts. As a junior, Dickinson is 7’2″ 255 pounds and presents a legitimate problem for opposing players at the high school level. Not only is Dickinson a low post threat, something we’ll get into more in a second, but he is a great shot blocker who poises a lot of problems for anyone attempting to enter the lane, using his size to make up for his lack of elite level athleticism.

Where Dickinson already shows a collegiate ready game is around the rim. Not only defensively, but also on the offensive end. The seven-footer has elite footwork and can already play with his back to the basket, showing an array of low-post moves something that’s rare to see in this day and age. Of course, at his size, he is a very good rebounder, both offensively and defensively and plays with a lot of toughness, something that’s a must for Chris Mack.

If you are looking for the prototype of a Chris Mack center in the 4-out-1-in, Dickinson is a great example. With his rebounding abilities combined with the scoring ability around the rim, Dickinson looks like a more athletic, and taller version of Matt Stainbrook.

One thing is for sure, there is no former Lousiville Cardinal big man who can be compared to Dickinson. Unlike Matz Stockman, who was the last seven-footer for the Cards, Dickinson is athletic enough to play long spurts, while also playing as a back-to-the-basket.

Former DeMatha Catholic star, and now Louisville assistant coach, Mike Pegues, will likely be the lead recruiter for Dickinson and the connection there could be enough to help get Dickinson to Louisville.