The sophomore basketball player Flory Bidunga, a forward for Kansas, plans to make himself available for the NBA Draft. Nevertheless, he also aims to retain his collegiate eligibility by engaging with the NCAA transfer portal, as reported by Pete Thamel of ESPN.
The 6-foot-10 player received the distinction of Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and was included in both the All-Big 12 team and the conference’s All-Defensive squad. He registered an average of 13.3 points (placing him third among Jayhawks scorers) and nine rebounds, additionally ranking fifth nationally with 2.6 blocks per contest.
Bidunga, whose 21st birthday is in May, delivered his most impressive game during a November encounter against Princeton, achieving 25 points on 10-of-11 shooting, along with 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. He reached 23 points on three separate occasions throughout this season, specifically against Green Bay, Baylor, and the highly-ranked Arizona.
“He represents the most adaptable and superior defender within our conference. And certainly, there are other skilled individuals as well,” commented Bill Self, the head coach for Kansas, following Bidunga’s reception of the Defensive Player of the Year accolade.
“The most significant improvements, in my opinion, involve maintaining discipline and learning to utilize his physical reach instead of taking risks,” he further stated. “I believe he has significantly improved in those areas.”
It was also noted by Griffin McVeigh of On3 that Bidunga had previously entered the transfer portal after the conclusion of the prior season. Reports indicated that Bidunga drew recruitment interest from Indiana, his home state, as well as Auburn. Nevertheless, he subsequently withdrew his name from the portal, choosing to remain with Kansas following the acquisition of an updated Name, Image, and Likeness agreement.
Kevin O’Connor, an NBA Draft authority for Yahoo Sports, did not include Bidunga among his first-round projections in the mock draft published prior to the NCAA tournament. Jeremy Woo of ESPN, conversely, estimated him as a second-round draftee.
Furthermore, Kansas anticipates the departure of freshman guard Darryn Peterson to the NBA Draft. Although he was once considered the premier prospect, he is currently anticipated to be a top-five pick.
