5-star '24 C Flory Bidunga earns offer from Kentucky

Flory Bidunga, one of the top high school basketball players from the class of 2024, announced on Tuesday night that he has earned an offer from Kentucky. The 6-foot-9, 210-pound center is considered a five-star prospect and the No. 3 overall junior in the country, according to the On3 Consensus.

KSR’s Jack Pilgrim reports that Bidunga will not be one of the many big-name visitors in Lexington for Friday’s Big Blue Madness event, but did add that the Kokomo (IN) High School product is working on scheduling a visit to Kentucky. Bidunga is the ninth player from the ’24 class to announce an offer from the ‘Cats.

After a great talk with @UKCoachCalipari and @CoachOantigua I’m excited and blessed to receive an offer from the University of Kentucky! #GoBigBlue pic.twitter.com/ApRH6AdCvN

— Flory Bidunga (@FBidunga) October 11, 2022

The Kentucky coaching staff watched Bidunga play over the summer on the Adidas 3SSB 16U circuit (where he averaged 18.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game on 76.4 percent shooting) and then again multiple times shortly after in Orlando for the NBPA Top 100 Camp. Bidunga has been arguably the most dominant pure center in all of high school hoops since the spring. He’s a workhorse on both ends of the floor and an elite defensive prospect.

“We’ve heard from Kentucky,” Kokomo head coach John Peckinpaugh told KSR over the summer. “They like what everyone likes (about him). His motor’s unbelievable and he’s skilled around the rim. He plays extremely hard.”

Recent intel from On3’s national recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw indicates that the Cincinnati Bearcats currently have the inside edge with Bidunga. Cincinnati’s recent hiring of Bidunga’s travel ball program director has played a significant factor.

Here’s what Shaw had to say about Bidunga as a prospect:

Flory Bidunga is a physical specimen. At 6-foot-10, he has long arms, broad shoulders, and a lot of burst. He is an excellent shot-blocker, both on the ball and from the weak side. He has natural timing and can get up to the square quickly, even through contact. Bidunga runs the floor quickly and purposefully. He can push the break with his handle but does not get too deep and out of control. The jump shot extends out to about 10 feet, so we would like to see that extend. But he has touch as a roll man to finish with floaters and corner jumpers. He needs to improve free throws as he gets to the line a lot. Offensively, Bidunga has a high IQ, he is smart in dribble hand-offs and can post wide and deep on the block. He is a good offensive rebounder. Bidunga is right-hand reliant, but his IQ and explosion allow him to get away with that for now. Physically, he is like a college upperclassman and is already one of the premier explosive athletes in high school basketball.

Jamie Shaw, On3