KU basketball lands commitment from 4-star recruit Samis Calderon from Brazil
Kansas men’s basketball has landed another coveted recruit.
Samis Calderon of Overtime Elite announced his commitment to the Jayhawks on Wednesday afternoon.
For Calderon, KU was an easy choice.
“The history, the coaches, the staff (and) the people over there felt familiar,” Calderon told The Star. “My family went there, too, and felt comfortable.”
Calderon is the Jayhawks’ second commitment in the 2025 class. In early November, KU landed Darryn Peterson, the No. 1-ranked shooting guard in the class of 2025.
Calderon, a 6-foot-8 forward from Brazil, picked the Jayhawks over Auburn, Michigan and Tennessee. He visited Lawrence earlier this month and watched KU defeat Howard at Allen Fieldhouse.
“The visit was amazing,” Calderon said. “I went to the game so I could see the atmosphere and a bunch of things. The energy in the arena was amazing.”
Last season, Calderon averaged 6.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.9 steals over 21.2 minutes for the Cold Hearts of the Overtime Elite League. The four-star recruit is an athletic small forward who plays both ends of court and can defend multiple positions.
“The same way I am playing over here, I will play over there,” Calderon said. “I’m going to improve. ... (I’ll add) energy and everything.”
Calderon also said he can’t wait to play under Jayhawks coach Bill Self.
“I am playing for one of the best coaches of all time,” he said. “So I expect to win a lot.”
Calderon said he wants to play in the NBA one day.
“If I can go to the league after one year, I’m going,” he said. “If I can’t, I’m staying in Kansas.”
Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports wrote a comprehensive scouting report about Calderon in October. He’s ranked as the No. 55 overall prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings.
“Calderon is a high-level athlete with exceptional length, huge hands and a frame that is both strong and defined,” Finkelstein wrote. “He’s measured at 6-foot-8 with shoes on with a massive 7-foot-3 wingspan and 10-inch hands. His athletic testing numbers are equally impressive with a 38-inch vertical and the fastest full-court sprint time in the entire OTE program. His physical tools are just as impressive within the flow of the game as he has easy bounce, covers the court and has all the tools necessary to thrive on the defensive end of the floor.
“Positional versatility should be another big asset for Calderon. He’s definitely going to be capable of defending multiple positions and thus be very switchable. Theoretically, he should also be able to thrive on that end of the floor regardless of tempo, whether that be the half-court or more aggressive run-and-jump type systems.”
This story was originally published November 13, 2024 at 2:30 PM.
