Five-Star Big man Flory Bidunga signs with Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Forward Flory Bidunga has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at Kansas, KU coach Bill Self announced today. Bidunga joins fellow signees Rakease Passmore and Labaron Philon and all three will be freshmen in 2024-25.
“Flory is the headliner of our recruiting class thus far. He's rated by many to be one of the top players in this year’s recruiting class,” Self said. “Flory is an elite athlete. He can play above the rim. He changes ends as well as anybody. He’s getting stronger and developing more offensive skill. He is probably as good a prospect that we’ve had inside in quite some time. Coach (Jeremy) Case did a great job with recruiting Flory and his family.”
Bidunga (6-foot-9, 220 pounds) is a five-star big man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who attends Kokomo High School in Kokomo, Indiana. He has been described as a freak athlete who can rebound, block shots, and plays above the rim. He’s also plays with a high motor, finishes with authority, is a scoring threat in the post, and can also get down the court at high speeds in transition.
Bidunga was the 2022-23 Gatorade Player of the Year in Indiana where he averaged 20.2 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 4.5 blocked shots last season. Additionally, he shot 81 percent from the field and led Kokomo to a 24-5 record and his team advanced to the Indiana 4A state title game.
As a sophomore, Bidunga averaged 17.5 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 5.3 blocked shots per game, shooting 79 percent from the field. In 56 high school games, Bidunga has 1,059 career points, 759 career rebounds, and 274 career blocked shots.
Bidunga is nationally ranked No. 6 by ESPN.com and Rivals.com and No. 8 by 247Sports.com. He grew up playing soccer player in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and only started playing basketball four years ago.
2023-24 Kansas Men’s Basketball Signees
Flory Bidunga – Fr., F, 6-9, 220, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kokomo (Ind.) HS
Rakease Passmore – Fr., G, 6-5, 185, Palatka, Fla., A.C. Reynolds (N.C.) HS, Combine (N.C.) Academy
Labaron Philon – Fr., G, 6-4, 177, Mobile, Ala., Baker HS, Link (Mo.) Academy