LAWRENCE, Kan. – Forward Samis Calderon has signed a financial aid agreement to play basketball at Kansas, KU head coach Bill Self announced today. Calderon will be a freshman at KU for the 2025-26 season.
A 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Calderon is from Espirito Santo, Brazil, and is a graduate of the NBA Academy Latin America located in Mexico City. Calderon is currently playing in his second season for Overtime Elite (OTE) in Atlanta.
“Samis is a guy we have been very excited about the last several months,” Self said. “He has great size at 6-foot-8 and he can play multiple positions on the perimeter. Samis has a really nice shooting touch that can stretch the defense.
“Samis has been trained well at OTE that should make the transition into major college basketball somewhat seamless,” Self continued. “Coach (Kurtis) Townsend has done a terrific job on recruiting Samis. We feel his best ball is ahead of him.”
Calderon has international experience while representing his home country of Brazil. He played for Brazil the 2023 FIBA U19 World Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, where he averaged 9.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game during the event. Calderon also has competed for Brazil in the 2022 Under 18 Americas Championship and 2022 Under 18 South America Championship.
A 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Calderon is from Espirito Santo, Brazil, and is a graduate of the NBA Academy Latin America located in Mexico City. Calderon is currently playing in his second season for Overtime Elite (OTE) in Atlanta.
“Samis is a guy we have been very excited about the last several months,” Self said. “He has great size at 6-foot-8 and he can play multiple positions on the perimeter. Samis has a really nice shooting touch that can stretch the defense.
“Samis has been trained well at OTE that should make the transition into major college basketball somewhat seamless,” Self continued. “Coach (Kurtis) Townsend has done a terrific job on recruiting Samis. We feel his best ball is ahead of him.”
Calderon has international experience while representing his home country of Brazil. He played for Brazil the 2023 FIBA U19 World Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, where he averaged 9.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game during the event. Calderon also has competed for Brazil in the 2022 Under 18 Americas Championship and 2022 Under 18 South America Championship.
