Kansas freshman Flory Bidunga to enter transfer portal. But will he leave?

Shreyas Laddha, The Kansas City Star on Mar 29, 2025

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LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas freshman forward Flory Bidunga will enter the transfer portal, his guardian Dillon Craft confirmed to The Kansas City Star.

But — notably — Craft didn’t rule out a return to Lawrence.

“Flory will enter the portal with intentions to return to Kansas,” Craft said in a text message to The Star. “After discussing this as a family, we have decided this is the best decision for Flory’s future. We will evaluate our options and are open to a return to Kansas.”

The potential loss of Bidunga would be a big one for the Kansas Jayhawks. The freshman big man averaged 5.9 points and 5.4 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game last season. Incoming five-star freshman Darryn Peterson even mentioned Bidunga as the player he’d most like to play alongside.

Bidunga primarily played backup center for the Jayhawks but showed flashes in the few games he started in KJ Adams’ absence.

The move to enter the transfer portal is surprising. A source close to the situation told The Star last Sunday that Bidunga was not considering entering the portal. The source didn’t anticipate that stance changing, pending Bidunga’s upcoming meeting with KU coaches.

Bidunga was a five-star recruit, ranked No. 14 by 247Sports and No. 17 by ESPN, in the recruiting class of 2024. He was the highest-rated prospect in KU’s 2024 recruiting class and finished as the Jayhawks’ highest-rated freshman signee since Quentin Grimes in 2018.

In his senior season at Kokomo (Ind.) High School, he averaged 19.0 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.4 blocks and 3.2 assists per game and led his school to a 25-4 record and 4A sectional title.

Bidunga was also named the 2024 IndyStar Mr. Basketball in the state of Indiana.