The Ole Miss men's basketball program surprised plenty of people last year under head coach Chris Beard. The senior-heavy team was able to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, but only one of the Rebels' key contributors will be back next season.

Coach Beard has already begun reloading the roster with a stellar crew of transfers. He added stars like Kansas' AJ Storr, Kentucky's Travis Perry, and Louisville's Koren Johnson and James Scott, as well as solid players like LSU's Corey Chest.

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While the transfer portal is a great resource, developing homegrown talent is a major component of what coach Beard is trying to do in Oxford as well.

On Wednesday, On3 Sports' Billy Embody reported that Ole Miss landed a commitment from four-star forward Niko Bundalo. He chose the Rebels over a handful of other elite programs like Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio State and UConn.

Bundalo is a top-30 player in the country for the class of 2025 and one of the very best power forwards in the nation. At 6-foot-10 and 215 pounds, he should be a force for Ole Miss early in his career.

The California native is making a major move to the southeast, but he clearly believes in what coach Beard is trying to build at Ole Miss. Bundalo should be a star for the Rebels over the next several seasons.