Kobe Bufkin

Kobe Bufkin (born September 21, 2003) is an American college basketball player for the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference.

Kobe Bufkin
Bufkin with Michigan in 2021
No. 2 – Michigan Wolverines
PositionShooting guard
LeagueBig Ten Conference
Personal information
Born (2003-09-21) September 21, 2003
Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolGrand Rapids Christian
(Grand Rapids, Michigan)
CollegeMichigan (2021–present)
Career highlights and awards

High school career

Bufkin played basketball for Grand Rapids Christian High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[1][2] He joined the varsity team as a freshman.[3] As a sophomore, Bufkin averaged 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game, helping his team achieve a 16–6 record. In his junior season, he averaged 22 points, five rebounds and four assists per game, leading his team to a 20–2 record.[4] As a senior, he averaged 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game in five games, before missing most of the season with a fractured left wrist.[5] Bufkin was named to the McDonald's All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic rosters.[6]

Recruiting

A consensus four-star recruit, Bufkin committed to playing college basketball for Michigan over offers from LSU, DePaul, Michigan State and Ohio State.[7] He was drawn to Michigan by assistant coach Saddi Washington.[8] Along with Caleb Houstan, Moussa Diabaté, he was part of a recruiting class was that the top-ranked class in the nation for the 2021–22 Michigan Wolverines.[9]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kobe Bufkin
SG		 Grand Rapids, MI Grand Rapids Christian (MI) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jul 10, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 87
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 51  247Sports: 44  ESPN: 40
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Michigan 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  • "2021 Michigan Wolverines Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 13, 2021.

College career

As a freshman, Bufkin averaged three points and 1.1 rebounds per game in 10.6 minutes per game.[10] On December 20, 2021, he earned co-Big Ten freshman of the week honors for his first double digit scoring effort on December 18 against Southern Utah.[11][12][13]

He picked up a lot of minutes as a sophomore following the 2022 departures of Eli Brooks, DeVante' Jones and Frankie Collins.[10] He posted a then-career-high 22 points in back-to-back games against Lipscomb (December 17)[14] and North Carolina in the Jumpman Invitational (December 21).[15] On February 2, 2023, Bufkin contributed 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, for his first career double-double as well as a career-high eight assists against Northwestern.[16] On February 26, Bufkin led Michigan with a career-high 28 points in an 87–79 overtime victory over Wisconsin.[17][18] Following the regular season, he earned All-Big Ten 3rd team recognition from the media and honorable mention recognition from the coaches.[19][20]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Michigan 28010.6.380.222.7731.1.3.4.13.0
2022–23 Michigan 333334.0.482.355.8494.52.91.30.714.0

References
  1. Lacett, Mike (January 21, 2020). "Grand Rapids Christian star hoping to be the next famous Kobe". WZZM. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  2. DeCamp, Scott (December 28, 2019). "Michigan State recruiting target Kobe Bufkin puts game on full display". MLive. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  3. Raffel, John (December 21, 2018). "Grand Rapids Christian sophomore Kobe Bufkin gaining notice for his all-around play". MLive. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  4. Kahn, Andrew (July 10, 2020). "Kobe Bufkin, guard from Grand Rapids, commits to Michigan basketball". MLive. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  5. Spencer, Jamal (March 18, 2021). "Bufkin hopes to return to the court during the playoffs". WZZM. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  6. Wells, Seth (February 23, 2021). "GR Christian's Kobe Bufkin named a McDonald's All-American". WOOD-TV. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  7. Hawkins, James (July 10, 2020). "'Really good upside': Grand Rapids standout Kobe Bufkin commits to Michigan's 2021 class". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  8. Sang, Orion (July 12, 2020). "How did Michigan basketball land Kobe Bufkin? John Beilein holdover had a big hand in it". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  9. Sang, Orion (November 11, 2020). "Meet Juwan Howard's No. 1-ranked Michigan basketball recruiting class for 2021". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  10. Zuniga, Alejandro (October 20, 2022). "Teammates reveal the most impressive player on the Michigan men's basketball team". 247 Sports. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  11. "Iowa, Michigan and Nebraska Receive Weekly Men's Basketball Awards". bigten.org. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  12. "Dickinson double-double paces Michigan's 87-50 romp". ESPN. Associated Press. December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  13. Wywrot, Tom (December 18, 2021). "First-Half Runs Pace Michigan in Win Over Southern Utah". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  14. Wywrot, Tom (December 17, 2022). "Michigan Survives Late Scare from Lipscomb Behind Bufkin's Career-High 22 Points". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  15. Wywrot, Tom (December 21, 2022). "Michigan Drops Jumpman Invitational Matchup Against North Carolina". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  16. Wywrot, Tom (February 2, 2023). "Bufkin Notches First Career Double-Double in Win at Northwestern". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  17. Wywrot, Tom (February 26, 2023). "Dickinson's Buzzer-Beater Forces OT in U-M Win Over Wisconsin". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  18. "Bufkin, Dickinson lead Michigan past Wisconsin 87-79 in OT". ESPN. Associated Press. February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  19. Wywrot, Tom (March 7, 2023). "Dickinson, Bufkin, Howard Earn Big Ten Postseason Honors". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  20. "2023 Big Ten Men's Basketball Postseason Honors Announced: Purdue's Zach Edey named Big Ten Player of the Year". BigTen.org. March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
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