Louisville basketball had one busy offseason, as Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals had to rebuild their roster completely. The Cardinals lost nine of their top 10 players, including all five starters and their top four leading scorers, including Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell, who were drafted in the NBA Draft.
Field of 68 just gave Louisville's Flory Bidunga all the motivation he needs
With Louisville losing so many key players, the Cardinals had to hit the Transfer Portal hard, and Kelsey did just that. He brought in seven players from the portal, including the No. 1 overall transfer and unanimous 5-star transfer Flory Bidunga.
The Kansas transfer was being recruited from the nation’s top programs, including Duke, Michigan, and St. John’s, but ultimately decided to commit to Louisville, and he just revealed why.
Louisville’s Flory Bidunga makes it clear why he trusted Pat Kelsey
Bidunga is coming off a dominant year at Kansas, where he earned a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team and won the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-foot-9 center was the first domino to fall to Louisville this offseason, and at media day yesterday, when asked why Louisville, he made it clear he's all in on Kelsey and his coaching style.
“PK man, coach Kelsey, great dude, great coach. I’ve been saying I haven’t seen something like him before," stated Bidunga. "Just him as a person, as a coach, being able to train with us, practice with us, and do those drills with us. My visit, he spoke a lot with me, and I trust him as a coach. And I think we can do something special as a team.”
Kelsey is known to be a unique head coach at the college basketball level, as the Cardinals head coach brings tremendous energy that quickly grabs players' and recruits attention. Kelsey is certainly a players' coach who will go to war for his roster and team, and when Bidunga was asked about his decision, he made it clear Kelsey quickly grabbed his attention and earned his trust.
Now, Louisville will need a big season from Bidunga, as the 5-star transfer is a huge addition to this Cardinals roster. Louisville has deeply missed an elite protector and a center who can play physically in the paint, and that is exactly what Bidunga brings. He averaged 2.6 blocks per game and secured 90 blocks in the season. Both stats finished in the top five in Division I basketball last year, and they're a huge reason Cardinals fans can’t wait to see him in the Louisville uniform.
The Cardinals had an exhibition game over the summer, and Bidunga quickly made his presence known, finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds, six blocks, and four assists, while shooting 7-of-9 from the field.
Kelsey has completely elevated this program, and bringing in a player like Bidunga proves it. Louisville fans are counting down the days to their first game, and with media day passing, the Cards fans can’t wait to see this roster and Bidunga in action.
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