The talk around the Kansas basketball recruiting trail is about Prolific Prep phenom Darryn Peterson, who many believe will commit to the Jayhawks very soon. However, head coach Bill Self is also zeroing in on an up-and-coming Overtime Elite star who has been making waves in the recruiting world.
Samis Calderon, the 39th-ranked player in the Class of 2025 on 247 Sports, was offered by Kansas last week and will take an official visit to the campus on Nov. 4. He has a 7-foot-3 wingspan and just opened the Overtime Elite preseason strongly. Could he be the next player KU is targeting?
Kansas HC Bill Self +2 were in today @OvertimeElite for ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 2025 Bryson Tiller & Samis Calderon 🇧🇷. pic.twitter.com/gZxm1yEdiq
— Derek Murray (@Derek__Murray) October 2, 2024
Kansas basketball interested in high-upside Brazilian forward
According to Overtime Elite, Calderon is a 6-foot-8 forward from Espirito Santo, Brazil. He is a long, athletic player with exceptional skills on the defensive end. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 6.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists for the Cold Hearts. He joined the NBA Academy in January 2023 and will be eligible to play in the NCAA next year.
If the Jayhawks were to land the international prospect, it would be the second time in three years that Coach Self successfully recruited a player from the NBA Academy Games. Kansas nabbed Johnny Furphy from Australia in 2023, which turned out to be a massive get for last year’s squad.
While his game is still raw, Calderon has the physical tools to enter NBA Draft talks one day. He will have plenty of experience under his belt by the time he arrives to college as he is already 19 years old and will be 21 by the end of his freshman season.
Given his experience at multiple levels, Calderon could be a player who contributes at a high level early in his college career. He should continue to rise national rankings over the course of the season and could be an under-the-radar add if he decides Kansas is the right school for him.