There’s only 2.1 seconds left in the first half. Kansas is down by 10 against the Kentucky Wildcats, but Hunter Dickinson is unphased. The big man is at the top of the key, with his hands out and ready, ready for what’s about to happen next: as the clock counts down, he catches a pass from teammate Dajuan Harris Jr., who is now being swarmed by two Wildcats, and knocks down a clutch three. Just as the buzzer goes off, Dickinson holds his follow through, spins around, and gallantly marches to half court while flexin’ three fingers. All 18,780 fans in the United Center go wild. It’s only his third game suiting up for the Jayhawks since transferring from Michigan, but it’s obvious that Dickinson, who had a 27-point double double that night, is ready for the bright lights.
That matchup in November was the last time Dickinson had been face-to-face with Kentucky freshman Robert Dillingham, who had 18 points. But they crossed paths again this past February, along with a few other rivals: from Duke freshman Jared McCain to Arizona’s Caleb Love, UConn’s Donovan Clingan and UNC’s Paxson Wojcik.
Wait, what?
Before any college basketball fans reading this start punching the air, we can explain. Swapping their college jerseys for ultra cozy SKIMS Terry loungewear, they’re now the newest cast of the SKIMS Mens March All-Star campaign.
"When I had seen Rob, it was good to be on the winning side of it,” Dickinson says light-heartedly when asked about the shoot. He adds: “It was cool to hang out with the guys because you're always kind of competing against them nowadays [at] this part of the season.”
They weren’t the only ones who felt that way. McCain admits that while the Duke-UNC rivalry is very, very real and intense, most of the guys don’t carry that same energy with them off the court. “It's funny whenever you meet up with somebody who the general public kind of thinks you have beef with, or you're not supposed to like them. Like, on my side, it was Caleb Love and how he went to Carolina and stuff like that, but we're all cool... We're all just basketball players trying to try to make our dreams come true.”
Rockin’ the newest SKIMS Terry Collection (available March 21), which includes five loungewear styles in four signature colorways—military, oxide, oxblood and washed obsidian—they all had a chance to “chill and kick it back,” Dickinson says, and get to know each other, rivalries aside. Some of them talked about how their seasons were going, while others talked about “college life,” McCain tells us over the phone. Normal college stuff. But then there’s the new normal they’re all living in, an era where they can now profit off of their name, image and likeness (NIL), making them not just student-athletes, but personal brands.
“It was really cool to be on set with people who share the same dreams and are as excited about doing a campaign for SKIMS as I am,” McCain says.
As much as they’re certified buckets, this generation of college hoopers are also business-savvy twenty something year olds and content creators. Models. Brand ambassadors. They’re the perfect group to represent SKIMS, a brand that’s continued to redefine the intersection of fashion and sports, entertainment and music, and has worked with some of the biggest names in the game, from A’ja Wilson to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
These college stars don't just have next, but right now. If Gen Z is the most online generation, then this group of hoopers are more like Generation Cool. They’re innovative. Stylish. Unapologetically themselves on and off the court.
Meet the new faces of the SKIMS Mens All-Star team:
California-native Jared McCain has been making waves since he was a five-star recruit at Centennial HS, where he averaged 17.7 points and 7.1 rebounds as a senior. His silky smooth game and court vision not only captured the attention of top DI programs across the country, but really, anyone watching: at the SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 4, where he won the 2x2 tournament with his squad and the three-point contest, young fans had their cell phones out, ready to snap a flick with the 6-3 guard.
Some know him for breaking opponent’s ankles, while others recognize him as their favorite Tik Tok star—right now, McCain has 2.4 million followers and 126.4 million likes on the app. His feed is a mix of dancing videos, glimpses into his daily life at Duke, and brand endorsements. But, McCain, who started posting long before NIL existed, didn’t intentionally sit down one day and strategize how he’d go about building a following. Just like the energy he plays with on the court, he really is just having fun with it.
“I've never really been like, oh, I need to take this seriously,” he tells SLAM over the phone. “Dancing has always been something I've done naturally since I was a kid.” He later adds: “I post when I want to, [like] when my teammates want to do a dance or when they want to be in one of my singing videos.”
McCain, who averages about 5 hours and 23 minutes of screen time a day, admits that ever since high school, he’s always had to deal with people having something to say about him being, well, himself, painted nails and all. Since arriving in Durham, though, the criticism has only escalated.
“College is just a completely different level whether it's Duke fans hating on you, obviously UNC [fans] but just the world in general whenever they see somebody dancing with the painted nails, playing college basketball, it definitely triggers a lot of people…Basketball [and] the TikTok stuff is completely separate. This season, every time I step on the floor, I feel like I have to prove something, every single time.”
McCain, who is averaging 13.4 points per game as a freshman, has been finding his rhythm this season. Back in February, he dropped 35 points on Florida State, tying the freshman scoring record and setting a new record for three-pointers in a game. His goals for this year have been team-oriented—ACC champions, making it to the Final Four and, eventually, winning an NCAA championship—as well as personal—winning Freshman of the Week (which he did, twice). But his main goal, he says, has been to “be present and never get too high or low” throughout the season.
“As a freshman, you're gonna mess up. It’s inevitable,” he tells us.
As he and his squad gear up for the ACC tournament—by the time we caught up with him in March, it was the day before they played NC State—McCain is bringing that same energy to every aspect of his life. For him it’s all about balance. You might catch him going viral on Tik Tok, rockin’ the SKIMS Terry Collection before games, or excelling in the classroom—he currently has a 4.0 GPA, and while he hasn’t yet declared a major, he knows there’s plenty of options for him both on and off the hardwood.
“I don't really know what I want to do outside of basketball, but there's just so much stuff that I could choose from.”
Robert Dillingham is another standout freshman who is no stranger to the limelight. Having dealt with tons of attention since high school, it’s no surprise that when he got to Lexington, all eyes were on the 6-3 guard. And yet, time and time again, he’s exceeded any and all expectations.
Despite coming off the bench for the Wildcats, Dillingham has owned the moment and shown that the hype has always been real: averaging 15 points per game and effortlessly dropping 20-pieces on any given night, he’s currently second on the team in scoring and is leading all players in the SEC in points per game. He was just named SEC Sixth Man of the Year when we talked to him in March, too. “I've just been focused on every day, taking it day by day, not looking too far ahead. [I’m] focused on, like, staying [in the] present.”
For Rob, this ain’t nothing new—he’s used to big crowds and his highlights circulating social media—the only difference is, now he’s doing it on the national stage. That mindset has been key to his transition to the college game.
“It's really just basketball. Obviously it's a little bit more pressure if you put it on yourself, but [there’s] just no difference for real other than [there’s] more to it. [I’m really just] bringing up my intensity in how I play.”
Not only is he turning heads on the court, but he’s ventured into the fashion space, too, from being a SKIMS Mens March All-Star to owning his own clothing brand, WITDASHIFTS. The very name perfectly encapsulates his shifty, dynamic game, plus all the moves he’s been making on and off the court.
Donovan Clingan grew up just an hour away from the University of Connecticut in Bristol, CT, so best believe he’s always known about the Huskies’ history and legacy from the jump. “To be able to grow up in Connecticut and wear that uniform with Connecticut across my chest, [it] definitely means a lot to me,” he tells us.
Not only is he reppin’ the hometown team, but the No. 32 on the back of his jersey is in honor of his mother, Stacey, who passed away from breast cancer in March of 2018. Clingan was in eighth grade at the time, and now he plays in memory of the woman who first introduced him to the game.
“When she passed, that really just motivated me to continue to work and try to be great and try to make it to the next level and make her proud. [That’s] really when I [made] a switch and started giving a bit of my all and trying to make it to the level I'm at now.”
After averaging a 30-piece as a senior at Bristol (Conn.) Central High School, the big man has continued to find his stride on the Huskies’ roster—he appeared in all 39 games as a freshman and currently holds a UConn record for career field-goal percentage. Right now, he’s focused on carrying that momentum into the rest of his sophomore season, from his post game to rebounding, blocking shots and becoming a lockdown defender.
When we caught up with Clingan the day before the Huskies took on Xavier, he was already locked in on the big game ahead. He and his squad have their sights set on bringing some serious hardware back to Storrs—first, a Big East Title, and then claiming their second consecutive National Championship.
The road there will be a long one, and that’s why for now, Clingan lives mainly in sweatpants and cozy vibes. “The [SKIMS Terry Collection] is what I need,” he says. Simple as that.
—
No matter what team he’s been on, UNC graduate student Paxson Wojcik’s mindset has always been the same. “You're not always going to be the tallest, the strongest, the fastest, or even the best player,” he reveals to us over the phone in March. But if you're willing to sacrifice and work hard and find ways to help your team win, whether it's being the hardest worker, playing with the most energy or being the best communicator on the floor, [then] there's always a spot for you.”
It all started when he was in high school and had transferred to La Lumiere School (Ind.) for his sophomore year. During a pickup game that August, he remembers being in the gym with a few other DI players and future NBA stars, including Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jordan Poole, and feeling starstruck. “As a young, skinny sophomore, I kind of got my butt kicked, but I just remember telling myself that I'm going to find a way to compete with these guys. I knew they were better than me and more athletic, but I just remember how fun it was to try to get the best of them or just try to play and be on that court with them.”
The same reason he decided to transfer in high school is the same reason why he decided to transfer to UNC: to surround himself with the best, from his teammates to his coaches and training staff. While his career trajectory has been unique—he played two seasons at Loyola Chicago and then spent the past two seasons at Brown—an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought him to Chapel Hill. “UNC is obviously a huge step up, going to the best basketball program in the country. It was just really cool for me to kind of achieve my dream and goals of playing for the Tar Heels,” he says.
He’s also been able to pursue a Master’s Degree in Business and Sports Management, while also taking advantage of NIL and putting himself out there. Wojcik admits that when he first heard about the opportunity to model for SKIMS, he thought it was a prank. He’d never modeled before and was feeling “excited but anxious” when he first got on set, but Wojcik is embracing the newness of it all—a new college squad, a chance to put himself out there and work with a brand like SKIMS that aligns with who he is as a person. Plus, it helps that he loves nature and mainly wears earth tones, too.
“I can confidently say that I never thought that I would model. I always was focused just on basketball in school,” he says, adding: “I just think it's such a great opportunity to show that we are more than basketball players and to show our passions [in] fashion and to represent a brand that we believe in.”
Hunter Dickinson has also had an unconventional career—after averaging 17.2 points and 8.4 rebounds throughout his three years at Michigan, where he led the team in both points and boards—the 7-2 center felt like it was the right time to switch it up for his senior season. “It felt like a new kind of environment for me, to learn and grow,” he says when asked about his decision to transfer to Kansas. “I feel like I've learned so much from Coach [Bill] Self and it's been a great experience so far,” he says in March.
He admits that when he first arrived in Lawrence, he felt like he had something to prove. “I think after not making the tournament last year, I think people really doubted how valuable I actually am to a team.”
To say he’s been thriving at Kansas would be an understatement: not only is he second on the team in scoring, but was this year’s Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and made the Big 12 All-First Team. As for what’s next for the senior, Dickinson is just as locked in and focused on his off-court pursuits, specifically business, from the stock market to real estate. He plans on giving back to his community one day, too.
As a SKIMS Mens March All-Star, which Dickinson describes as “groundbreaking,” this is really just the beginning for him.
“[What] I'm looking forward to [doing] in the future is to try to help and give back to things that made me successful. To pave the way for the next generation.”
—
Caleb Love is another standout who took advantage of the transfer portal. After averaging 16.7 points for the Tar Heels last year, he decided to take his talents to Arizona for his senior year. “I just wanted to be a better basketball player all around,” he tells us over Zoom. “One thing that was a focus when I came to Arizona was just showing that I could not only score the ball, but make plays, [be] active on the defensive end and also just be a great teammate.”
His numbers don’t lie. Love is putting up the best numbers of his college career and averaging career-highs in both points per game and rebounds, while also improving in nearly every statistical category. Just a few days before we chatted, he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year, making him the first Wildcat to win the award as a transfer.
Oh, and the Wildcats are ranked No. 1 in the Pac-12, a testament to not only their work ethic, but their cohesiveness. “I think our team chemistry is the best, if not one of the best in the country,” Love says confidently.
He credits a lot of his success to his upbringing in St. Louis and his family: his grandfather “put the ball” in his hands, while his father was his coach up until he attended Christian Brothers College High School. As for his mother, well, she always encouraged him to smile, which is paying off now that her son is one of the faces of SKIMS. “I think I give a lot of credit to my parents…They taught me so much about how to carry myself on and off the court.”
His goal has always been to pay them back (which happens to be his banner on X), but he’s also making his younger self proud, too. The kid from St. Louis has emerged into a sharpshooting, college basketball star with opportunities that are extending well beyond the hardwood. “I think he'll be proud of himself and how far he’s [come],” Love says. “Just knowing the things that he'd been through and the hard work that he's put in to put himself in this position.”
Available now
