2025 Ole Miss basketball recruiting: McDonald’s All-American power forward Niko Bundalo commits to Rebels

Coming off its second Sweet Sixteen in program history, Ole Miss continued its big offseason Tuesday, receiving a commitment from McDonald’s All-American power forward Niko Bundalo, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

Bundalo is the No. 40 overall prospect and the No. 7 power forward in the class, according to 247Sports’ rankings. He chose the Rebels over a who’s who of national powers, including UConn, Michigan State and North Carolina. He had been committed to Washington but received his release in April.

Here’s a snippet of 247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein’s scouting report of Bundalo:

Bundalo is an inside-out lefty four-man with good positional size, athleticism, and deceptive strength. He has good bounce around the rim, a great right hand, and while his frame doesn’t boast a ton of visible muscle mass, he plays through contact fairly well. He’s legit low-post scoring threat who understands angles and is especially effective sealing off defenders prior to the catch for easy buckets.

Bundalo is equally capable of facing the basket and has a soft touch that extends to the arc with ease. He can play out of pick-and-pop action and is a reliable three-point shooter when he’s in rhythm, but gets much less efficient when he tries to jab into threes or shoot off the dribble. Bundalo has a bit of a high dribble and isn’t really a creator, although he’s capable of driving a close-out. He’s both versatile and comfortable playing various spots on the floor in different types of offensive actions, seemingly picking up concepts quickly, and yet he is not always an overly willing passer.

Bundalo is the latest notable addition for Chris Beard and the Rebels. The first step was keeping Beard, which Ole Miss took care of in early April, giving him a raise and pledging more NIL resources as coach openings emerged across the country.

Beard, in turn, has loaded up in both the transfer portal and in high school recruiting. The Rebels have added four-star transfers AJ Storr (Kansas), James Scott (Louisville), Corey Chest (LSU), Koren Johnson (Louisville) and Travis Perry (Kentucky), and Bundalo joins Tylis Jordan and Patton Pinkins as top-100 high school recruits headed to Oxford.