Louisville basketball made many changes this offseason, including to its coaching staff. Pat Kelsey had to replace three coaches, most recently Louisville legend Peyton Siva, who left the Cardinals to reunite with his 2013 National Championship head coach, Rick Pitino, at St. John’s.
On top of the three coaches who left, Louisville, of course, had to replace the majority of its roster. The Cardinals brought in nine transfers, having to replace its top scorers and all five starters from the previous season. Kelsey made some major splashes, and the biggest addition is the 5-star transfer from Kansas, Flory Bidunga.
One of the Cardinals' key returners, Adrian Wooley, broke down what makes Bidunga so special and valuable for Louisville, and the Cardinals' fans are just eager to watch the 5-star in a red and black uniform.
Adrian Wooley is already impressed by Flory Bidunga
Bidunga is poised to have a massive impact on both ends of the floor. The 5-star center is one of the most dominant rim protectors in college basketball, coming off a year in which he ranked among the top five in blocks per game and total blocks.
Now, with him joining the Cardinals, Wooley reveals Bidunga isn’t going to be only a game changer on defense, but he will also have a major impact on offense.
“He brings a lot of energy coming on both sides of the court,” stated Wooley. “I feel like he can do it all. Just putting the ball in his hands and then letting him go to work. It just opens up a lot of space for us as well. And with him on the defensive end, it just gives us another piece of leverage. Just to be able to send somebody down there to him and knowing he can get the job done.”
This is exactly what the Cardinals fans wanted to hear. There has been a lot of criticism of Bidunga’s offensive game and bag, but Wooley is telling everyone the 6-foot-9 center can do it all. The Cardinals need Bidunga to be dominant in the paint offensively and to make a small jump from last year, and this sounds like he is heading in the right direction.
Bidunga is crazy athletic and is one of the best lob threats in the country. The new star for Louisville averaged 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game last year, winning the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award and earning First-Team All-Big 12 honors.
The Cardinals have Final Four dreams, and a major reason is Bidunga. Rob Dauster of Field of 68 stated that Bidunga needs to average around 18 points per game for the Cardinals to be true contenders, and in the exhibition game, he had 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting with 10 rebounds and six blocks.
If Bidunga can be the two-way star Wooley believes he can be, then Kelsey and the Cardinals have a real path to the Final Four. The Cardinals' frontcourt was their glaring weakness last season, but Wooley is already giving Bidunga high praise and explaining why the Kansas transfer is going to be a game-changer for the Cards.
Add us as a preferred source on Google