John Calipari Meets With Michigan Transfer Hunter Dickinson At Private Airport For Recruiting Pitch

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Kentucky coach John Calipari still knows how to get it done when it comes to recruiting. Calipari is such a baller that he didn't even leave the airport when meeting with Hunter Dickinson.

The biggest news to come out of the transfer portal was Michigan's Hunter Dickinson deciding to transfer. The 7-foot-1 center met previously had a conversation with Calipari via zoom, but the latest meeting took place at the private airport.

"He flew up Tuesday to meet with me in Michigan and he talked with me for two hours. We literally met at the airport, the little private airport," Dickinson told RoundBall Pod. "Met there, then he flew somewhere. I told him I don't need to visit there because I already took a visit in high school, that's the only reason why a visit wasn't scheduled."

Dickinson would go on to say that Calipari pitched him on the new Kentucky strength coach, which was a big selling point.

As for the visit to Lexington, it's now happening. According to David Sisk, Dickinson will be at Kentucky this weekend, after visiting with Kansas this week, with Villanova also on the schedule.

Will Hunter Dickinson Commit If Oscar Tshiebwe Stays?

I don't think this would be much of a factor for the big man, who averaged 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds during the 2022-2023 season. Yes, Oscar Tshiebwe is still deciding on whether or not to return to Kentucky, but if Hunter wants to play in Lexington, Calipari isn't turning him down.

Michigan Wolverines star Hunter Dickinson enters the transfer portal. (Credit: Getty Images)

Hunter Dickinson enters the transfer portal. (Credit: Getty Images)

This would certainly be a massive pickup for the Wildcats, who were bounced in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Kansas State. The rumblings in Lexington weren't pleasant this past season for John Calipari, especially when Chris Beard was fired at Texas.

Now that we're in the offseason, Kentucky fans can focus on next year, with the addition of Hunter Dickinson potentially being a major part of the 2023 team.

Either way, Calipari hopping off the private jet to meet with Dickinson inside the coffee room at the small airport is such a big-time move for the Kentucky coach.

His name certainly still carries massive weight in college basketball.

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Trey Wallace is the host of The Trey Wallace Podcast that focuses on a mixture of sports, culture, entertainment along with his perspective on everything from College Football to the College World Series. Wallace has been covering college sports for 15 years, starting off while attending the University of South Alabama. He’s broken some of the biggest college stories including the Florida football "Credit Card Scandal" along with the firing of Jim McElwin and Kevin Sumlin. Wallace also broke one of the biggest stories in college football in 2020 around the NCAA investigation into recruiting violations against Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Wallace also appears on radio across seven different states breaking down that latest news in college sports.