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LAWRENCE — As Kansas basketball’s offseason unfolds, players from this past season’s team are exploring their options in the transfer portal.
Officially, as confirmed by USA TODAY Sports, sophomore forward Flory Bidunga, freshman forward Bryson Tiller and redshirt sophomore guards Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell are in the portal. It’s been reported that both freshman center Paul Mbiya and freshman forward Samis Calderon are going to enter the portal, but as of Thursday afternoon they are not in it. Should none of them return, freshman guard Kohl Rosario is set to be the only player back who played meaningful minutes for coach Bill Self during the 2025-26 campaign, and Rosario’s minutes weren’t all that consistent as the year progressed.
RELATED: What might KU basketball’s roster for 2026-27 look like? See updates
Here’s more on each player who’s in the transfer portal:
Bidunga spent his first two seasons in college at Kansas, and emerged in his second year as one of the best players the Big 12 Conference has to offer. He became the Big 12’s defensive player of the year, as well as an All-Big 12 first team honoree. He’ll be an especially coveted target for anyone in the transfer portal, should he not turn pro, and after averaging 13.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game likely would command a significant price.
Tiller enrolled early and redshirted during the 2024-25 season, before emerging as a starter this past season in his first real opportunity for minutes at KU. Sure, there were some inconsistencies with his performance, but after averaging 7.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, and considering the physical traits he has, he’ll be a valuable addition for any roster. Like Bidunga he has a professional career ahead of him, it’s just a matter of when he decides to make that jump from college.
Jackson spent the past three years on Self’s roster at Kansas, although he missed one of those seasons due to an injury. This past season, he averaged 17.8 minutes per game while averaging 4.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per contest. He shot the ball well from behind the arc, and as a former McDonald’s All-American will also likely have a number of programs lining up to see if they can be the one to benefit from providing him with a more significant role.
McDowell also spent the past three years at KU, and stepped up this past season after coming off of a redshirt year. With Jackson, he was one of the more looked to players outside of the usual starting five and even finished the season starting seven of the 35 games he played in. McDowell, who averaged 3.3 points and 1.6 rebounds per game, across an average of 17.3 minutes per matchup, is another player who could benefit from going somewhere where he will be provided with more of a role.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: These Kansas basketball players are officially in the transfer portal
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Officially, as confirmed by USA TODAY Sports, sophomore forward Flory Bidunga, freshman forward Bryson Tiller and redshirt sophomore guards Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell are in the portal. It’s been reported that both freshman center Paul Mbiya and freshman forward Samis Calderon are going to enter the portal, but as of Thursday afternoon they are not in it. Should none of them return, freshman guard Kohl Rosario is set to be the only player back who played meaningful minutes for coach Bill Self during the 2025-26 campaign, and Rosario’s minutes weren’t all that consistent as the year progressed.
RELATED: What might KU basketball’s roster for 2026-27 look like? See updates
Here’s more on each player who’s in the transfer portal:
Flory Bidunga
Bidunga spent his first two seasons in college at Kansas, and emerged in his second year as one of the best players the Big 12 Conference has to offer. He became the Big 12’s defensive player of the year, as well as an All-Big 12 first team honoree. He’ll be an especially coveted target for anyone in the transfer portal, should he not turn pro, and after averaging 13.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game likely would command a significant price.
Bryson Tiller
Tiller enrolled early and redshirted during the 2024-25 season, before emerging as a starter this past season in his first real opportunity for minutes at KU. Sure, there were some inconsistencies with his performance, but after averaging 7.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, and considering the physical traits he has, he’ll be a valuable addition for any roster. Like Bidunga he has a professional career ahead of him, it’s just a matter of when he decides to make that jump from college.
Elmarko Jackson
Jackson spent the past three years on Self’s roster at Kansas, although he missed one of those seasons due to an injury. This past season, he averaged 17.8 minutes per game while averaging 4.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per contest. He shot the ball well from behind the arc, and as a former McDonald’s All-American will also likely have a number of programs lining up to see if they can be the one to benefit from providing him with a more significant role.
Jamari McDowell
McDowell also spent the past three years at KU, and stepped up this past season after coming off of a redshirt year. With Jackson, he was one of the more looked to players outside of the usual starting five and even finished the season starting seven of the 35 games he played in. McDowell, who averaged 3.3 points and 1.6 rebounds per game, across an average of 17.3 minutes per matchup, is another player who could benefit from going somewhere where he will be provided with more of a role.
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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: These Kansas basketball players are officially in the transfer portal
Continue reading...
