Ole Miss Basketball Battling North Carolina Tar Heels, UCONN for Top-50 Prospect

Chris Beard and Co. hosted the talented power forward, makes way to Oxford for a quick visit.

Zack Nagy | May 18, 2025

Mar 28, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Chris Beard in the first half of a South Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament against the Michigan State Spartans at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

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Ole Miss Rebels

Uniontown (Ohio) Prolific Prep four-star forward Niko Bundalo remains one of the most coveted prospects on the recruiting trail after backing off of his commitment to the Washington Huskies.

Bundalo, a consensus four-star prospect in the 2025 Recruiting Cycle, signed to play for Washington in November, but was released from his National Letter of Intent on April 29.

Now, the Top-10 power forward in America has emerged as one of the top available players in the country as he navigates a critical stretch.

The 6-foot-10, 205-pounder took a visit to Oxford over the weekend where he had the chance to soak in the scenes of Ole Miss' campus for a multi-day trip to the Magnolia State, according to multiple reports.

NEWS: Top-30 recruit Niko Bundalo, a McDonalds All-American, has received his release from Washington and will reopen his recruitment, source told @On3Recruits.

The 6-10 power forward now becomes one of the top players available in the 2025 class. https://t.co/SG5q2yYpxa pic.twitter.com/QxBtNBL9fE
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 29, 2025

Bundalo averaged 11.0 points and 8.0 rebounds for Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep last season and was named a 2025 McDonald's All-American following a dominant senior campaign.

Once Bundalo was released from his National Letter of Intent last month, On3 Sports labeled St. John's and Kansas State as schools to watch.

But the Ole Miss Rebels are quickly giving the talented prospect something to think about following a visit to campus.

Bundalo has received a flurry of additional offers from the likes of North Carolina, UCONN, Notre Dame, Michigan, Alabama, Syracuse, LSU, Kentucky and Texas.

For the Rebels, the program have roughly two scholarships available for the 2025-26 roster after bringing back star forward Malik Dia and second-year guard Eduardo Klafke while signing seven transfers.

What's the latest on Ole Miss' newcomers? Who's in?

The Ole Miss Portal Haul:

Commitment No. 1: Corey Chest [LSU Forward]

Chest, one of the top prospects in Louisiana coming out of high school, made 26 appearances for the Tigers during the 2024-25 season with 19 starts.

The 6-foot-8, 220-pound redshirt-freshman averaged 6.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 60.7 percent from the field during his second season in Baton Rouge.

After three seasons of high school ball in Louisiana, Chest went up to Missouri for his senior campaign to play for Link Academy, one of the top prep schools in the country.

Now, after traveling across America from Louisiana to Missouri and back to the Bayou State, Chest has made the decision to take his talent to Oxford.

Commitment No. 2: AJ Storr [Kansas Guard]

The well-traveled prospect will head to his fourth program in as many seasons with the Rebels landing his services via the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Storr has played a trio of collegiate seasons where he's suited up for three programs: St. John’s, Wisconsin, and Kansas.

The 6-foot-7 guard has played in 103 total games across his career with 57 starts for the Red Storm, Badgers, and Jayhawks.

Storr is a bucket-getter. He's averaging 10.7 points (42.3% FG, 33.7% 3PT) and 2.6 rebounds per game during his time in college despite bouncing around.

During his second season of college ball he posted career-best with the Badgers as a sophomore. He tallied 16.8 points a night on 43.4% FG and 32% 3PT while grabbing 3.9 rebounds and earned All-Big Ten honors along the way.

Commitment No. 3: Koren Johnson [Louisville]

The 6-foot-2 junior began his playing career with the Washington Huskies where he won the 2023-25 PAC-12 Sixth Man of the Year Award following a standout season.

Johnsn averaged 11.1 PTS, 2.7 AST, and 2.2 REB in 24.2 minutes per game at Washington during his breakout season prior to departing the program.

After two years with the Huskies, Johnson made the move to Louisville for the 2024-25 season, but suited up in only two games after suffering an injury.

Now, he'll head to Oxford for the 2025-26 season after receiving a medical redshirt last season.

Johnson was a four-star, Top-150 prospect in America out of high school in the 2022 Recruiting Cycle prior to signing with the Washington Huskies.

Commitment No. 4: Augusto Cassia [Butler]

Cassia, a 6-foot-8, 220-pounder, heads to Oxford after a stint with the Butler Bulldogs across a pair of seasons.

The rising-junior from Salvador, Brazil appeared in 25 games for the Bulldogs over the past two seasons, averaging 5.1 points per game, and 3.1 rebounds per game

He shot 66.7 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from three-point range this past season.

Cassia is a talented three-point shooter where he can now add a key element to the Rebels' 2025-26 roster moving forward.

He shot nearly 43 percent from three-point range this past season, adding another layer of versatility to his game.

Commitment No. 5: Ilias Kamardine [International]

The 6-foot-5 combo guard is a former MVP and tournament champion at the FIBA U20 Eurobasket while dominating overseas.

Kamardine turns 22-years-old in October and plays for Dijon in Pro A with college coaches salivating at the potential he attains moving forward.

The international guard averaged 8.0 points, 2.4 assists, one steal and 2.4 rebounds in the EuroCup this season.

Kamardine is a prospect that continues evolving as a shooter after shooting 43.4 percent from the floor, 39 percent from three-pount range and 79 percent from the free throw line this year.

Commitment No. 6: Travis Perry [Kentucky]

Perry, a coveted prospect in the NCAA Transfer Portal, received interest from a myriad of schools before shutting down his process and committing to the Rebels.

The talented 6-foot-2 bucket-getter appeared in 31 games with four starts as a true freshman for the Wildcats during the 2024-25 season.

Perry capped off the year after averaging 2.7 points while shooting 31.3% from the floor and 32.1% from 3-point range.

The former Top-100 prospect in America broke the Kentucky high school scoring record during his time on the prep scene with multiple powerhouse programs pursuing his services.

Commitment No. 7: James Scott [Louisville]

Scott, one of the top forwards available in the NCAA Transfer Portal, is fresh off of a visit to Oxford with the Rebels turning up the heat.

The talented transfer appeared in 70 games for Charleston and Louisville across the last two seasons.

After starting his career at Charleston, he elected to follow head coach Pat Kelsey to Louisville and has averaged 6.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 assists across the last two years on the hardwood.

The 6-foot-11 forward shot 77 percent from the field last season with his efficiency playing a pivotal role in his production during limited playing time.