Quinnipiac junior forward Abdulai Bundu may be undersized but he more than makes up for that with his heart and his hustle.
Rebounding is all about desire and Bundu continues to have the desire to beat every player to a loose ball. Bundu had 105 offensive rebounds during his freshman season, which helped make Quinnipiac the seventh best offensive rebounding team in the country.
Although Bundu is smaller than many of the other players he goes against every night he has one advantage over many of them and that is his footwork and lateral quickness.
“He plays way bigger than his height is listed,” head coach Baker Dunleavy said. “He can guard a lot of positions. He gets it done in a different way but in a really effective way.”
Bundu has a high motor, which helps him compete on the defensive end of the floor. Although his opponents may get tired during the game, Bundu will push through and continue to work hard on both the defensive and offensive ends of the floor.
“It’s just my will to win, my win to compete,” Bundu said. “I feel like it’s in my nature, I’m relentless. People get tired, I tell myself ‘you don’t get tired, let them get tired and just keep doing what you do.’”
Chaise Daniels started the first 10 games of the season for Quinnipiac but when he took a leave of absence from the team Bundu became a starter for the Bobcats. Bundu has now started 22 straight games, as he is now the player who organizes the Bobcats on the defensive end of the floor.
Bundu is the defensive anchor for the Bobcats on defense but he is also a player who encourages his teammates when they get down on themselves. Senior Cam Young only played eight minutes last season after transferring to Quinnipiac from Arizona Western College but Bundu knew that Young would make an impact in his senior season.
“Before the season started I told (Young) that he was the best-kept secret in the MAAC,” Bundu said of his teammate. “I just try to keep Cam (Young) in his happy place.”
Bundu will need to keep playing with a high motor if he wants to help Quinnipiac continue its surprising run in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament. Bundu and his teammates will play the winner of Niagara and Fairfield on Sunday night at 9:30 p.m.
