LAWRENCE — The good news kept coming for Kansas basketball Friday, with Hunter Dickinson’s announcement he’s returning to the Jayhawks for another season.

Dickinson, Kansas’ star center, had the option of turning pro or playing in college one more year.

Instead of seeing what’s possible for him in the NBA, he’s going to do his part to try to deliver more Big 12 Conference and national success to the Jayhawks’ fan base. It’s news that comes as Kansas, which has amassed a talented transfer portal recruiting class, has continued to set itself up as a favorite to make another run to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.

Also on Friday, KU added Alabama transfer guard Rylan Griffen. The other two are Wisconsin’s AJ Storr and South Dakota State’s Zeke Mayo. And while Florida’s Riley Kugel has yet to sign — although he’s already committed — if he does, that will add to the expectations building in Lawrence.

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“This is great news,” KU head coach Bill Self said in a release. “We’ve had a lot of good things happen since the end of the season and Hunter coming back has definitely added to that. Hunter made a huge impact on our team last year. He played and fought through injuries and was still one of the most consistent players in the Big 12 and nationally. Not only is Hunter a terrific player, he’s a great leader and teammate. We expect him to contend for first-team All-American next season.”

Dickinson transferred in from Michigan and the Big Ten Conference ahead of this past season, which saw Kansas reach the round of 32 of the NCAA tournament. In his first year in the Big 12, he became the conference's newcomer of the year. He was also a consensus All-American.

The Jayhawks might have fallen short of their team goals this past season, but Dickinson proved to be one of of the reasons they were able to make a postseason run. He averaged 17.9 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. With the perimeter shooting Self and company have added through the transfer portal ahead of next season, Dickinson is in position to have an even better year.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Hunter Dickinson reveals he’s returning to play for Kansas basketball