Scout & Fit: Louisville lands Flory Bidunga

That’s a really big fish.

Kansas transfer center Flory Bidunga has committed to play for Louisville.

The sophomore center, along with fellow future Cardinal Jackson Shelstad, visited Louisville over the weekend, and Pat Kelsey and his staff sealed the deal.

This past year with the Jayhawks, Bidunga averaged 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while making 64 percent of his shots. He was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year for averaging a league-best 2.6 blocks per game.

Transfer Portal: Live updates as Louisville, Pat Kelsey begin reshaping the roster

What will Bidunga bring to Louisville?

Offensive scouting report

Over the course of the 6-foot-10, 235-pound Bidunga’s two-year college career, he’s made significant strides on the offensive end with his playmaking, touch around the rim, and instincts.

And just because he’s the top center in the Transfer Portal, it doesn’t mean he’s the most skilled. There are still many ways he can grow. For instance, Bidunga improved his assist rate from 3.6 as a freshman to 9.7 as a sophomore while also lowering his turnover rate. He still turned the ball over more than he facilitated scoring opportunities for teammates, an area that must improve in an offense like Louisville’s. Bidunga must work on passing out of double-teams as well.

At times this year, his vision was an asset for the Jayhawks. He dished out a career-high five assists in an early-season win over Notre Dame and later had four against BYU. Most of Bidunga’s assists this past season came from high-low actions. The Kokomo, Indiana, native should not and will not have much ball-handling duty, as at Kansas, he was most comfortable off one or two dribbles and playing off a creative guard.

An elite lob-threat and attempting most of his baskets right at the rim, Bidunga is best in the pick and roll or using his physicality and length to seal smaller defenders off. He made 66.7 percent of his 2s in Big 12 play last season, an impressive feat, no doubt. In the post, there are still ways he can improve the back-down game, as right now he relies heavily on a left-handed hook over the right shoulder. But he was effective. He uses his length extremely well to work unique angles on the rim and is athletic enough to win his battle off that alone at times.

Keeping with Coach Kelsey’s tune of having a rim-runner at the center position instead of a high-usage, post-heavy big man, Bidunga is one of the country’s best forwards in transition.

He takes pride in beating his man down the floor, uses his athleticism and long stride to his advantage, and finishes with authority. Bidunga’s motor is always running.

Bidunga attempted more than 10 field goals only 12 times last season, so while he is efficient and consistent in his scoring, he’s not high-volume and not comfortable going one-on-one in every matchup. He did end up scoring in double-figures in all but eight games this year.

Where he can take over the game is the offensive glass. Bidunga had games last season where he completely dominated his matchups on the backboards. He grabbed over 11 percent of his team’s misses and has only had five games where he has failed to tally an offensive rebound since the start of the 2025 calendar year. The former Jayhawk creates a lot of scoring opportunities for himself with it and also boasts a foul rate of 3.2, likely thanks to his continued physicality.

Defensive scouting report

Now we’re getting to the good stuff.

Bidunga is one of the most impactful defenders in all of college basketball. His block rate of 9.8 in Big 12 games was the best in the conference, and he had only one game this past season in which he failed to record a steal or a block. His great instincts, timing, and length help, but the sophomore center also takes pride in guarding multiple positions and switching onto all five positions rather effortlessly. It is always a luxury to have a center that wants to guard in space. He might be one of the few athletic enough to do so at this level.

Similar to his rebounding, Bidunga’s consistent intensity and running motor help him outwork opponents for defensive positioning. And, where most 6-foot-10 players would lean away from guarding quick players on the perimeter, Bidunga embraces it and willingly accepts difficult assignments.

On the downside, Bidunga is prone to foul trouble just as he is to drawing them on the other end. He’s a long, athletic, and physical player, and while it was also an area of growth for him, sometimes you want your center to play overly physical. Availability has never really been an issue for him, as he played over 78 percent of Kansas’ minutes and has not missed a game in his entire college career.

How does he fit at Louisville?

Bidunga’s fit in a Louisville uniform is easy to see. His motor impacts games on both ends of the floor; he thrives with creative guards and spacing around him, but perhaps most importantly, brings a relentless energy and ruggedness to the floor. That’s something that head coach Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals haven’t had at the center position aside from spurts of Vangelis Zougris.

Louisville still has work to do with roster construction, and building around Bidunga should mean the staff begins prioritizing shooters, guys comfortable in transition, and play-setters. He and Shelstad already make sense from a basketball perspective. The Cardinals have secured their one-two punch for next winter.

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