2016-17 Buffalo Men’s Basketball Previews: David Kadiri

Hobbled by a knee injury for most of last season, David Kadiri has a chance to give Buffalo solid minutes from the bench and execute solid post defense.

The Basics

Number: 4

Year: Senior

Position: Forward

Hometown: Laurel, Maryland

Height: 6-8, 210 lbs.

New to Buffalo?

Nope

UB Career

Kadiri came to Buffalo last season after spending time at South Plains Junior College. While there he was streaky, but showed plenty of flashes of talent. In the NJCAA National Championship he had an impressive line: 13 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 blocks. In his first season donning the Blue and White, he played in 27 games. Although he only averaged 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds a game, Kadiri spent most of the year with a bent up knee that hampered his production.

Further Reading and Viewing:

Bull Run: Montana State Bobcats vs Buffalo Bulls Men's Basketball recap: David Kadiri, defense sparks Bulls to 80-73 win

David Kadiri was the unlikely sparkplug for the Bulls as the home team pulled away in the second half thanks to very strong on-ball defense and the junior transfer.

Bull Run: Nate Oats, Buffalo Basketball pull in first commitment in JUCO PF David Kadiri

Playing 14 minutes a game for UMBC as a freshman, Kadiri averaged 3.9 points and 2.4 rebounds a night, while shooting 49% from the floor. Unfortunately, he also shot just 47% from the line. At South Plains he upped both of his shooting percentages into the 56% range, but still only averaged 6.2 points per game and 3.0 rebounds per game in 12 minutes an appearance. Looking at his gamelog, Kadiri was boom-or-bust this past season, with some absolutely stellar games offset by more bad nights.

2016-17 Outlook

Kadiri is another huge piece to UB’s depth in the front court and his ability to defend in the post is probably the best on the team. Because he’s a defense-first player, when he takes a shot it’s going to be a smart one. Expect a lot of crucial bench minutes from the senior.