Louisville lands Flory Bidunga, Jackson Shelstad in transfer portal bonanza: Source

Louisville has made the biggest early splash in the transfer portal, getting commitments from Kansas center Flory Bidunga and Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad, a person close to the players told The Athletic. ESPN first reported the commitments.

The 6-foot-10, 235-pound Bidunga is the top player in The Athletic’s transfer portal rankings after two seasons with the Jayhawks. He averaged 13.3 points and 9.0 rebounds a game as a sophomore, providing a dominant source of energy and athleticism on defense and the offensive glass, with a developing offensive game. Duke, Michigan, St. John’s and others reportedly were in pursuit of Bidunga, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Bidunga and Shelstad, who are represented by the same agency, both visited Louisville over the weekend and committed Sunday. Shelstad is No. 8 in The Athletic’s portal rankings after a hand injury cut short his junior season with the Ducks. He averaged 15.6 points and 4.9 assists over 12 games, after he averaged 13.7 and 2.7 as a sophomore.

Those additions are enormous for coach Pat Kelsey entering his third season with the Cardinals. Kelsey is 51-19 in two seasons with NCAA Tournament appearances in both. His team won one game in March before losing to Michigan State in the second round. Big man Vangelis Zougris entered the transfer portal over the weekend, according to a 247Sports report, making him the fourth Louisville player from last season to do so.

Between the portal NBA draft declarations and eligibility expirations, that leaves London Johnson and Adrian Wooley as the only two players from last season still on the roster. So Kelsey has work ahead of him. But the inside-outside potency of Bidunga and Shelstad is a strong place to start. The portal closes on April 22.