photo by: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Kansas forward Flory Bidunga shoots during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against North Carolina Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in Lawrence.

During his brief stint in the transfer portal — which lasted all of one week early in the spring — Flory Bidunga wanted to take a step back to reflect on his season in the Kansas program.

The 2024-25 campaign, which ended in disappointment in the first round of the NCAA Tournament saw Bidunga display flashes of brilliance, and demonstrate the athleticism that could make him an elite rebounder and shot blocker. But he did so in somewhat limited opportunities, as he played just 16.2 minutes per game with multi-time All-American Hunter Dickinson and veteran KJ Adams occupying time and space in the post.

“Obviously I did want a bigger role this year,” Bidunga said on Wednesday. “Had a talk with (head coach) Bill Self about it. And then, obviously didn’t guarantee me anything, but I feel like I still have to do the work to deserve anything on the court. And then so far, it’s what we have talked (about). That’s pretty good.

“He taught me I need to finish what I started, and that was like the main point of our talking.”

Now, if what Bidunga wanted was a bigger role, he’ll certainly get it this fall. As a sophomore, the Congolese center will have to function at a higher level within the paint to create a strong post presence and make life a bit easier for star guard Darryn Peterson — who once cited Bidunga as the player he was most looking forward to playing with as a freshman.

Bidunga has spent a lot of the offseason getting himself in better shape. But he is also becoming a more versatile player: “I can’t wait to show y’all what I’ve been working on,” he said. “I won’t say much about it, but just the outside game.”

Indeed, Self said Bidunga has become much more comfortable on the perimeter — not necessarily in terms of his long-range shooting, though he has done some of that too.

“But I’m talking about his ball handling, his play making,” Self said. “Playing with Hunter in many ways, I think, did help him, because he saw what a good passing big looks like, and he’s become a good passer and a much better screener and, getting out of it, the short-roll guy. He can make a case for being as consistent a player as we’ve had so far.”

Guard Melvin Council Jr. said Bidunga makes Council’s play style “so easy”: “When he comes (on the) pick and roll, you don’t know what I’m going to do and I can just throw it up, he can catch it. It doesn’t matter where I shoot the ball, his first jump is unbelievable.”

They’ll be playing together quite a lot, as there won’t be nearly as many challenges to Bidunga’s time on the floor as there were last season, when he was behind Dickinson and Adams. Kansas acquired a backup big man late in the offseason in 7-footer Paul Mbiya, but the paint won’t be as crowded this season in general, with Tre White, a wing by trade, the presumptive starter at power forward.

“His skill set does complement Flory really well because he’s a stretch 4, where we need to have the floor spaced so people just can’t clog it up,” Self said.

Bryson Tiller, a redshirt freshman who had a front-row seat for some of Bidunga’s memorable performances last winter while he was recovering from an injury, will also see some time in the frontcourt.

“He’s definitely gotten more skilled around the rim,” Tiller said of Bidunga. “His touch has gotten better, and he’s gotten better defensively as well. As (good) as he was last year, he got even better this year.”

Bidunga is also in the unusual position of, as an underclassman, serving as one of the longest-tenured Jayhawks. He is the only scholarship player on the roster who actually took the floor last season. (Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell both redshirted, which was due to injury in Jackson’s case.) Bidunga averaged 5.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks, and was particularly impressive in a string of games filling in for Adams early in conference play, although he did struggle with foul trouble.

“I’ve been through that experience,” Bidunga said. “I have knowledge of what it’s like and what I need to get done better, for sure.”

He said he feels leadership is the area in which he has taken the biggest step since last season.

“Last year, I was just like a post player, you know, just seeing the paint, but I feel like I will have more jobs to do this coming season,” Bidunga said.

photo by: AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

Kansas forward Flory Bidunga (40) looks to make a pass as TCU’s Noah Reynolds (21) defends in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025.