dailyloe.com – Louisville basketball is hosting several key NCAA transfer portal targets on visits this weekend. The top player on the list is former Kansas big man Flory Bidunga. A source close to the program confirmed the visits to The Courier Journal. Former Oregon point guard Jackson Shelstad is also visiting on Friday.
Pat Kelsey is starting the free agency period with a bang. The visits were initially reported by On3’s Joe Tipton. Bidunga and Shelstad are represented by the same agent. Multiple reports say former San Francisco wing Tyrone Riley IV will visit Sunday.
Kelsey has significant work to do this offseason. The Cardinals had only three scholarship players on their 2026-27 roster as of Wednesday. Those players are London Johnson, Adrian Wooley and Vangelis Zougris. The transfer portal closes at midnight on April 22.
This creates a need to pursue top talent immediately. An anonymous agent told 247Sports scouting director Adam Finkelstein about the approach. The agent described it as ‘throwing bags at everyone.’ Finkelstein added that Louisville has ‘elite buying power.’
More marquee visits should be on the horizon for the program. Flory Bidunga is considered the blockbuster target. He is a 6-10 native of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bidunga was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore at Kansas.
He averaged 13.3 points on 64% shooting last season. He also averaged nine rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. His 13 double-doubles ranked second in the Big 12. They also ranked 23rd nationally.
Louisville has lacked a player like Bidunga under Kelsey. This deficiency cost the team against top competition last season. The Cardinals finished -60 in paint scoring in nine Quad 1A games. They were also -28 in rebounding margin and -23 in second-chance points.
The competition for Bidunga’s commitment will be stiff. Other schools like Duke, Michigan and St. John’s are also involved.[]
Source: The Courier-Journal
