Louisville’s portal haul
Sources report Louisville has added former Kansas big Flory Bidunga and ex‑Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad in the portal as the Cardinals reload for next season. (espn.com) The signings were also flagged on social feeds earlier, and coverage is treating the pair as instant rotation upgrades. (x.com)
Louisville landed two of the transfer portal’s biggest names on Sunday, adding former Kansas big man Flory Bidunga and former Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad for 2026-27. (espn.com) Espn reported the commitments on April 13, citing sources, and said Bidunga ranked No. 1 in its portal rankings while Shelstad ranked No. 11. Both players committed after weekend visits to Louisville. (espn.com) Bidunga averaged 13.3 points and 9.0 rebounds for Kansas in 2025-26, while leading the Big 12 in blocked shots at 2.6 per game and field goal percentage at 64.0%. Espn listed him at 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds. (espn.com) Shelstad averaged 15.6 points and 4.9 assists in 12 games for Oregon last season before a hand injury, according to Espn and Sports-Reference. In his last full season, 2024-25, he started all 35 games and shot 37.9% from 3-point range, Espn reported. (espn.com) (sports-reference.com) The timing matters because the men’s basketball transfer portal opened April 7 and runs through April 21 under the NCAA’s new two-week window. Louisville moved quickly enough to pull two top targets off the board in the portal’s first week. (espn.com) (foxsports.com) Louisville also had clear roster reasons to shop high in the portal. Guard Mikel Brown Jr. declared for the 2026 National Basketball Association draft on April 7, and the program also lost veteran contributors to graduation and transfer. (usatoday.com) (en.wikipedia.org) Pat Kelsey is trying to build on a fast Louisville turnaround. The Cardinals went 24-11 in 2025-26, finished 11-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and reached the second round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament after going 27-8 the year before. (en.wikipedia.org) Bidunga gives Louisville an interior anchor after James Scott transferred to Mississippi and Frank Anselem-Ibe exhausted his eligibility. Shelstad gives Kelsey an experienced lead guard after Brown’s draft decision removed the team’s top freshman creator. (en.wikipedia.org) (usatoday.com) For now, Louisville’s offseason looks a lot different than it did a week ago: one portal window, two weekend visits, and two projected rotation pieces in place before mid-April. (espn.com)
