2025 Recruiting: Niko Bundalo Update

[superjohn]

If Mullins, who stayed home, parents are connected to local U, coming from a hoops state, can adios, then a Croatian kid who’s playing his senior year in Cali and coming out of a football state definitely can. I doubt that’s a variable. OSU probably put a lot of energy into him as easy access to a local kid and that’s what got them on the list. Biggest thing for this kid is best balance of playing time and development. Might have to ride some pine at UConn year one, but get great development. Or get instant time somewhere else and perhaps less accelerated development. I’d think it’s a bit about how his group sees his goal to get to the NBA. If it’s a 2-3 year plan, come on down. If it’s a 1-2 year plan, maybe take the other option.

This one is hard to project - I felt really good about the other 3 based on leaves and logic, this one is a coin flip (but fascinating).

Bundalo is first generation Serbian American, his parents are refugees.

 

[Lambeau]

Mom grew up a Jordan fan in Chicago--pushed the Tar Heel legacy on him.

 

[RuffRuff]

Khamenia, top 20 kid, to Duke. This after it was widely suspected he’d land locally with UCLA. That recruiting beast keeps moving, here after they landed the Boozers. With how loaded and young that roster is, makes me wonder if these non guaranteed OAD kids are buying into the program vs instant PT.

Worth noting, Trilly wrong on this one.

 

[Kembacity]

if he schedules announcement on the next next wednesday it would be special

Honestly this would be magical. Niko announcing the Wednesday after this one would mean at that point we only have another week to wait for the season to kind of start

 

[david]

Khamenia, top 20 kid, to Duke. This after it was widely suspected he’d land locally with UCLA. That recruiting beast keeps moving, here after they landed the Boozers. With how loaded and young that roster is, makes me wonder if these non guaranteed OAD kids are buying into the program vs instant PT.

Worth noting, Trilly wrong on this one.

He's 19th on 247's rankings but mid 30s on on3, espn and rivals. He's good though. He'll be a backup to Cam Boozer next year and just has to hope he's not recruited over for his sophomore year.

 

[RuffRuff]

He's 19th on 247's rankings but mid 30s on on3, espn and rivals. He's good though. He'll be a backup to Cam Boozer next year and just has to hope he's not recruited over for his sophomore year.

Smart kid, tall, good passer and can shoot it. Seems like a Hurley kinda kid but they seem to find their top priorities and weigh whether gettable. Strikes me as the kind of kid they would have spent time on if not so far out west and assumed he wanted to stay there.

On a separate topic this is interesting. Will be interesting to see here he lands and the surrounding hoopla. Widely speculated BYU, but maybe not.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Smart kid, tall, good passer and can shoot it. Seems like a Hurley kinda kid but they seem to find their top priorities and weigh whether gettable. Strikes me as the kind of kid they would have spent time on if not so far out west and assumed he wanted to stay there.

On a separate topic this is interesting. Will be interesting to see here he lands and the surrounding hoopla. Widely speculated BYU, but maybe not.

Now I get why we backed off.

 

[husky429]

Smart kid, tall, good passer and can shoot it. Seems like a Hurley kinda kid but they seem to find their top priorities and weigh whether gettable. Strikes me as the kind of kid they would have spent time on if not so far out west and assumed he wanted to stay there.

On a separate topic this is interesting. Will be interesting to see here he lands and the surrounding hoopla. Widely speculated BYU, but maybe not.

His dad knows that the entire CBB world believes AJ and him are all about the $ and going to the highest bidder. They're trying to do some damage control for his reputation while simulataneously signalling to programs the $ range they need to be in. They didn't NEED to mention these dollar amounts.

Kind of genius, really.

 

[RuffRuff]

Worth noting MSU got a commit today as well out of Cam Ward, 6’7” SF. Unlikely to impact Bundalo but could be a little overlap.

 

[navery12]

Worth noting MSU got a commit today as well out of Cam Ward, 6’7” SF. Unlikely to impact Bundalo but could be a little overlap.

MSU is the one school that the reports have been consistent on re: Bundalo. They're out

 

[HooperScooper]

Smart kid, tall, good passer and can shoot it. Seems like a Hurley kinda kid but they seem to find their top priorities and weigh whether gettable. Strikes me as the kind of kid they would have spent time on if not so far out west and assumed he wanted to stay there.

On a separate topic this is interesting. Will be interesting to see here he lands and the surrounding hoopla. Widely speculated BYU, but maybe not.

Very interesting article on Dybantsa that clearly shows why UConn didn't recruit him beyond the initial offer 2+ years ago. I posted it earlier today with a link you can read it without a subscription. Everyone who is interested in recruiting should read it. I wasn't sure where to post it so I put it in an NIL thread. Definitely don't want to sidetrack the Bundalo thread since it doesn't have anything to do with him. Here's the link to the post.

NIL issues

The president of the NCAA lashed out at "evidence of dysfunction in today's NIL environment" while reiterating his desire to see Congress create national guidelines to shape so-called name, image and likeness endorsement deals that are reshaping college sports. Dysfunction? You don't say?! I...

the-boneyard.com

 

[Samoo]

Bundalo is first generation Serbian American, his parents are refugees.

Great, Ruff calling him Croatian probably ruined our chances...

 

[DogMania]

The lack of news on Bundalo makes me wonder if UConn is still in play. While it seems we will have a plethora of new and returning talent to man the 1 through 3, adding a talented 4 who has size and game to play some stretch-5 minutes, just makes sense. What makes this work is that so many of the players Hurley has brought in are able to play multiple overlapping positions. Although they use the term positionless basketball, it's more of an overlapping position type of system.

The 1s and 2s need to be very good to elite ball handlers and half court set starters where at least one of them on the floor at critical times in the game need to show very good to elite defensive ability. Add to that, Hurley has put a premium on guards who can shoot the three ball. Most of the ones he has recruited lately are more combo guards who can play both the one and two at a high level.

The 3s are interesting where he seems to be stocking up on 3/2 combos and 3/4 combos. The 3/4s are 6-6 to 6-8 forwards who can put the ball on the floor, pass, set screens, knock down 3s, rebound. Karaban, Stewart, and McNeeley fit this. Ross and Abraham (6-7, 205) need to fill out to defend the 4, so are more 3s at this time. The 3/2s are those 6-4 to 6-5 Cam Spencer and Braylon Mullins type do it all, good ball handlers, shoot the lights out from 3, etc. We don't seem to have any this season, though I'm sure Hurley will play some 3G sets due to all the talented 6-3 and under players on the roster.

Where I see a possibile need is that 4/5 combo who has size to defend the 4, but stretch the D. Karaban will likely enter the draft next summer. Stewart will continue to fill out and get stronger. I think he'll be back next season, but he could play himself into a first round pick. Just not sure what his 2024/25 trajectory is. And many think McNeeley will show enough to be a high first round draft pick. Bundalo would be a good pickup since the odds of 2 of them staying in the draft is likely high. Although there would be a crazy amount of players fighting for PT, stocking up so that we have a lot of returning battle prepared in the system for at least a year would keep the team playing at a high level. This will continue to work if the current and new players coming in are willing to wait there turn, knowing they'll earn solid PT by their second to third year in the system, depending on how ready they were when they first arrived and how quickly they develop on both ends of the floor and learn the system.

Would Bundalo buy into that? If the staff still wants him, I hope so. I just don't know how the rotations will play out as Hurley continues to recruit better and more ready to play talent.

 

[Son of Robert]

UConn is a great choice for Nico Bundalo. UConn will have 30 minutes open at the 4 spot with Karaban going to the league next year. No telling what our roster will look like next year but there will be competition for the whole 40 minutes, and Bundalo should have a legit shot at earning a starting position, which is all any player can ask for. We are running the best offensive sets in college basketball, we are the two-time champs, contending for a third title, and the coaching staff already putting in the work to contend for a fourth, or a third not consecutive if we don't win this year. We will be in the thick of it though. Bundalo needs a year or two to develop his game and his body, and he has to see that playing at UConn for Hurley will put him in the league. We are the #1 program right now with four players drafted last year. It has been quiet, hopefully we start seeing some crystal balls over the next couple of weeks.

 

[RuffRuff]

Quick scan of the competing message boards on Niko, and it seems no one feels good about their position with the kid. Fairly wild because if anything fans tend to get overconfident.

One interesting tidbit on the MSU board is that according to Trilly a number of programs tapped out on him under the assumption that his intensity was counterproductive. Hmmm. If anyone gets that, and could reel it in……

Some quotes from him I hadn’t seen yet:

Five-star forward Niko Bundalo trims list to 4 | Zagsblog

By ADAM ZAGORIA Niko Bundalo, the five-star […]

www.zagsblog.com

 

[RuffRuff]

this has felt like he was ready to commit last month but UConn wanted to hold and check on Reibe. but the original match of make up, values and style of play etc still there so it's interesting to see what happens eventually.

Great take - values wise, he’s a slam dunk for Hurley, so much that not sure he matches up with many others. Is that fit enough to trump over congestion concerns?

 

[TheHorde]

Great take - values wise, he’s a slam dunk for Hurley, so much that not sure he matches up with many others. Is that fit enough to trump over congestion concerns?

Plus with the players that would most likely still be here, along with the incoming class, he’d undoubtedly have a strong chance to win a championship.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Great take - values wise, he’s a slam dunk for Hurley, so much that not sure he matches up with many others. Is that fit enough to trump over congestion concerns?

I'll support letting that be his concern not ours.

 

[3rdbass]

it's also not a true congestion, since reibe and bundalo play different rough positions. AK is departing for sure etc. it's just a congestion in terms of team planning.

Yeah you have Stewart and Abraham already who play the 4.

 

[HuskyFich]

Yeah you have Stewart and Abraham already who play the 4.

I'm guessing Stewie plays way more 3 than 4.
Also, consider that Danny may not be piecing all rotations around a foundational big every season.
Reibe looks much more like a Kalkbrenner than a DC or AS. If Dan Hurley goes after and gets Bundalo, I bet we see a ton of 5 out offense.

Being able to switch between 5 out and 4 out with a Rim Protector is lethal in the NBA, lI can't imagine how much of a mismatch it will be for NCAA teams.

 

[3rdbass]

I'm guessing Stewie plays way more 3 than 4.
Also, consider that Danny may not be piecing all rotations around a foundational big every season.
Reibe looks much more like a Kalkbrenner than a DC or AS. If Dan Hurley goes after and gets Bundalo, I bet we see a ton of 5 out offense.

Being able to switch between 5 out and 4 out with a Rim Protector is lethal in the NBA, lI can't imagine how much of a mismatch it will be for NCAA teams.

If we have to play Ball, Mahaney, and Mullins you might see Stewart more at the 4. Also, don't forget Jayden Ross playing the 3.

 

[navery12]

I'm guessing Stewie plays way more 3 than 4.
Also, consider that Danny may not be piecing all rotations around a foundational big every season.
Reibe looks much more like a Kalkbrenner than a DC or AS. If Dan Hurley goes after and gets Bundalo, I bet we see a ton of 5 out offense.

Being able to switch between 5 out and 4 out with a Rim Protector is lethal in the NBA, lI can't imagine how much of a mismatch it will be for NCAA teams.

Stewart has already almost exclusively played the 4 last season, and next year there's going to be even more guys at the 1-3 spots so it's hard to see that changing

 

[HuskyFich]

Next Season as of Now:

PG: Ball, Nowell, D.Adams
Wings: Mahaney, Mullins, Ross, Stewart, Abraham, Bundalo?
Bigs: Reed, Reibe, Singare

I guess my point is the wings(outside of Mahaney) could all play the 3 or the 4 in a 4 out system. Yes, defensive matchups matter, but for the style of play I'm talking about, it would allow Hurley to maximize roster interoperability, allowing you to get a Stewart, Abraham and Mullins to be on the court at the same time.

 

[Travelman6]

His dad knows that the entire CBB world believes AJ and him are all about the $ and going to the highest bidder. They're trying to do some damage control for his reputation while simulataneously signalling to programs the $ range they need to be in. They didn't NEED to mention these dollar amounts.

Kind of genius, really.

Meh, probably get a better "bang for your buck" from an experienced player in the transfer portal.