Kansas Basketball: Paul Mbiya May Be Emerging as Flory Bidunga Replacement

With former Kansas basketball center Flory Bidunga now off to Louisville, the Jayhawks are looking for someone to take his place in the post this upcoming season.

They may not have to look far though as freshman big man Paul Mbiya is reportedly considering not entering the transfer portal as previously expected.

According to Shreyas Laddha of the Kansas City Star, the 7-foot center from the Democratic Republic of Congo has not yet entered the transfer portal and “remains undecided about whether to leave KU” – as of this past weekend.

If he decides to stay at Kansas, that could be a huge win for head coach Bill Self and the KU coaching staff as Mbiya showed flashes of potential late in the season this year.

Despite playing limited minutes throughout the season, Mbiya got more playing time towards the end of Big 12 play – including 10 minutes at Arizona and five minutes versus Kansas State on Senior Day. In fact, during Self’s annual senior speech, he said Mbiya was “the most improved guy over the last three or four weeks.”

That confidence in his young freshman showed when Self gave Mbiya big minutes in the NCAA Tournament. He played 16 minutes in the Jayhawks’ first round game against Cal Baptist and scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting. He also grabbed three rebounds and had one block.

In the second round matchup versus St. John’s, he racked up four points and six rebounds in 13 minutes of playing time.

With a 245-pound frame and 7-foot-8 wingspan, Mbiya has all the physical tools to be a good player at the college level. If he sticks around for his sophomore year, he could take a big leap just as Bidunga and so many big men have before him in this program.

Other Options

Should Mbiya choose not to return to Kansas, the Jayhawks do have options available through the transfer portal as KU is reportedly in pursuit of several coveted center prospects, including Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam and Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke.

The 7-foot-2 Thiam was one of the best frontcourt players in the Big 12 this year after averaging 12.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game – earning him All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors as a sophomore. He played just one season in Cincinnati after transferring from Central Florida.

Bonke, who also stands at 7-foot-2, averaged 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game as a junior for Charlotte this season. He is testing the NBA Draft waters, but a visit to Lawrence could still happen sometime this week.

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