How Darryn Peterson played a role in Flory Bidunga’s return to Kansas basketball
Kansas big man Flory Bidunga is counting down the days until he can play with incoming five-star freshman Darryn Peterson.
The pair is already pretty close, with Peterson even saying Bidunga is the player he most looks forward to playing with at Kansas. Peterson was in communication with Bidunga when he entered the transfer portal and ultimately decided to return.
There’s also plenty of fanfare around KU’s two talented youngsters. The hope is the duo will be another iteration of former KU stars Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike.
“I have a great relationship with DP,” Bidunga told The Star last week. “He’s a good prospect, a good player. I’ve been watching him. I think he can bring so much to Kansas. I’m looking forward to that.”
Bidunga told The Star last week the idea of playing with Peterson factored into his decision to return.
“He’s a great player coming up from high school,” Bidunga said. “I think he would make me better because he’s a good true point guard. He can create shots for others and then for himself. I’m really looking forward for that, just to see how it goes.”
Peterson is KU’s first No. 1 recruit since Josh Jackson in 2016. 247Sports recently ranked Peterson No. 1 in the class of 2025. Other services, such as ESPN, On3 and Rivals, rank him top-3.
He’s also a McDonald’s All-American and won the 2025 Naismith Boys High School Player of the Year award. He is only the third KU player to do so, joining Wiggins (2013) and Cliff Alexander (2014).
He’s not the only new Jayhawk next season. Kansas has also added Tre White and Jayden Dawson from the transfer portal.
Kansas has five open roster spots at the moment. It’ll be a new-look group next season.
KU had five players with eligibility remaining enter the portal: Zach Clemence, Rakease Passmore, David “Diggy” Coit, AJ Storr and Rylan Griffen. On Tuesday, Storr joined Ole Miss while Coit announced a transfer to Maryland last Tuesday. Clemence is headed to Texas A&M.
Passmore, for what it’s worth, hasn’t ruled out a return.
Bidunga would love to see any of last season’s Jayhawks return to Kansas. Still, he understands players will make the best decision for themselves.
“I had a great time with my guys who’ve entered the portal, Rylan, AJ, you guys saw Diggy just committed to Maryland,” Bidunga said. “At the end of day, you just need to do what’s best for you. I’m really happy. I hope that they can get somewhere where they’ll be happy and can succeed.
“If they decide to come back, man, that would be great. I spent some great times with them and I’d like to continue together.”
This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
