2018-19 Buffalo Women’s Basketball previews: Finess Dickson

For the fifth-consecutive year, UB Women’s Basketball will have a pair of sisters on the team. Replacing the Sisters Ups will be the one-two punch of Aireal Dickson and Finess Dickson, who our preview centers around today.

Number: 2

Year: R-Freshman

Position: Guard

Hometown: South Holland, Illinois

High School: Homewood-Flossmoor

Height: 5-6

Before UB

Dickson, like her sister, began her high school basketball career at Whitney High School before heading over to Homewood-Flossmoor. While at Whitney, she was a member of their 2014 State Championship squad and followed that up with a second-straight City Championship a year later.

Her senior season at Homewood-Flossmoor was pretty good too, where she averaged 10 points, 5 assists, and 5 steals a game. Her performance was good enough for a 3-star scout grade and she was ranked as the 85th best in her position by ESPN.

Dickson began her collegiate career at Memphis, which unfortunately hit a roadblock. Injury forced the then-true-freshman to only appear in four games. The good news: She hit her only shot attempt — a three pointer against Louisiana Tech — and nailed all four of her free throws.

Flash forward to this year and she follows her sister by transferring to Buffalo, but with a twist. Felisha Legette-Jack and company have already filled their 15-scholarship allotment, so Finess is a walk-on this year. It’s crazy what a Sweet Sixteen berth can do for your program.

Usually, when you transfer, you have to sit out for a year, but that doesn’t mean that UB’s Kelly Cruttenden-led compliance staff won’t try for otherwise. This is, if you remember, the same group that got Cassie Oursler another year of eligibility.

So, like the tweet above says, Bulls fans get to enjoy watching the talents of Dickson immediately, as well as a full four years in Amherst.

Further Reading/Viewing

UB: NCAA Approves Waiver To Allow Finess Dickson To Compete Immediately

TBN: NCAA ruling gives UB hoops a second Dickson sister

Our Hustle Bros: The Plethora of Point Guards in MAC WBB Got a Little Stronger Today

Ed. Note: Definitely check out Hustle Belt throughout the season for other MAC WBB coverage. James Snyder has done a fantastic job giving MAC WBB its due recognition.

2018-19 Outlook

Finess is described as a guard that thrives in uptempo basketball and the transition game. Like every guard recruited to a Coach Jack squad, she’s also a disruptive defender. If there’s any freshman guard on this year’s team that could sneak their way onto the starting rotation, I’d have to go with Finess. If not, she’ll definitely contribute crucial minutes off the bench for UB this season.