Column: Kansas' Hunter Dickinson Is a Dying Breed, But Should We Appreciate That?

On Tuesday night, Dickinson was ejected in the second half of the Jayhawks' 75-72 victory over the Duke Blue Devils.

Nov 26, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Kansas Jayhawks center Hunter Dickinson (1) and Duke Blue Devils forward Maliq Brown (6) fall to the floor during the second half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

In the era of soft-touch, finesse basketball, Hunter Dickinson is an anomaly.

The Kansas basketball center plays with a rare level of fire, toughness, and competitive spirit that feels like it’s straight out of a bygone era. He’s the kind of player who thrives on contact, embraces the physicality, and is unafraid to get under the skin of his opponents.

But, as we saw in his flagrant foul against Duke in the Jayhawks 75-72 win on Tuesday night, there’s a fine line between being tough and crossing over into reckless.

Let’s be clear: Dickinson is everything you want in a player — fierce, driven, and full of heart. He plays with the kind of passion that’s rare in today’s college game, where the emphasis often shifts toward speed and style over substance.

He’s the kind of player who brings intensity to the court, the guy who isn’t afraid to mix it up, take a hit, or dish one out. That kind of attitude is what makes Kansas basketball so tough to play against.

It fuels the team’s culture, providing a toughness that flows throughout the entire roster.

But here’s where it gets tricky: passion is one thing, but crossing the line into retaliation is another.

Dickinson’s ejection on Tuesday after a flagrant foul was a moment of pure frustration. Sure, he was battling for position, fighting for every rebound, but he let that fire get the best of him.

We’ve seen it before.

The big man is no stranger to being in the thick of things, but when does that fiery passion start to hurt his team? The Jayhawks’ defense struggled without him on the floor, and it was a reminder that Dickinson’s raw competitiveness, while inspiring, sometimes puts his squad in a tough spot.

So, do we appreciate players like Dickinson? Yes. His old-school mentality is something basketball could use more of.

It’s refreshing in a sport that’s become more about highlighting skill than toughness. Players like him remind us what it means to compete at the highest level — to want it so badly that you’re willing to fight for every inch. But we also have to recognize that with this kind of personality comes the risk of letting emotions spill over, especially in the heat of a game.

Dickinson’s passion is undeniable, but he needs to channel it more effectively. Retaliation, no matter how justified it might feel in the moment, is never the right response.

His intensity can be a gift to Kansas, but only if he can learn when to turn it off before it goes too far.

It’s the perfect storm. Dickinson is the player every team would love to have, the type of tough, gritty force that seems to be fading from the college game.

His competitive edge is something the sport could use more of. But like any great player, his challenge is knowing where that line is, and making sure he doesn’t cross it.

Because if he does, it’s not just the game that suffers — it’s his team.

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