Bidunga, Johnson headline early standouts at Pangos AA Camp

LAS VEGAS, NV — Night one of the Pangos All-American Camp is always a fascinating scene. 120 of the nation’s top high school prospects fly out to Las Vegas and gather exhausted from travel to compete in a late-night game session. 8:30 p.m. PT (11:30 ET) is the start time, followed by a second game an hour later at 9:30 (12:30 a.m. ET). No matter where you’re from, it’s a late night for participating campers.

But that’s part of the appeal, right? It is Vegas, after all.

Some players were clearly a step slow while others looked to take advantage of the grogginess. Among those standing out early to open the prestigious event? A handful of top Kentucky targets, among other rising names of interest.

Flory Bidunga

He was officially credited with 14 points on 7-7 shooting to go with eight rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal in 15 minutes, but I’d argue he was short-changed a few buckets and blocked shots. Does it really matter, though, when you’re clearly the most dominant player in the gym?

Bidunga is such a game-changing talent it’s laughable at this point. The things he does on both ends at 6-9, 215 pounds just aren’t fair. He boasts a ridiculous second jump with an otherworldly vertical, looking to rip the rim off on every dunk. The five-star has impeccable defensive instincts and timing, all of the tools to be an elite shot blocker. And he understands body positioning and spacing at a high level, fascinating for a kid who has been playing basketball just four years now.

He’s working to expand his game as a jump shooter and initiator, but anything he provides in those two categories is icing on the cake at this point. The tools are there to dominate in college as is.

Jasper Johnson

A grand entrance for Lexington’s finest. After a standout regular season with Team Thad on the Nike EYBL circuit, Johnson received a Pangos AA Camp invite and didn’t take long to stand out. He opened camp with a 16-point, four-assist, three-rebound effort to lead his team. And it was an efficient display, knocking down six of nine shots overall, including four of seven from three.

Modeling his game after NBA veteran D’Angelo Russell, Johnson is never rushed and processes the game at a high level. He’s got growing to do physically, but he’s skilled and has the basketball mind to be a productive player in college, whether that’s at Kentucky or elsewhere.

The local product averaged 12.3 points on 51.0% shooting, 40.3% from three and 83.3% at the line during EYBL play this spring, proving himself as a shot-maker for a top contender at Peach Jam. He continued that efficient scoring and shooting output in front of NBA scouts on night one in Vegas.

Ahmad Nowell

A new Kentucky offer, Nowell doesn’t necessarily look the part of a John Calipari point guard on paper at 6-0, 180 pounds. But the Philadelphia native and former teammate of Justin Edwards is tough as nails and prides himself on being a do-it-all threat on both ends of the floor. He set the pace for EYBL No. 1 seed Team Final as the lead guard, averaging 13.7 points on 51.5% shooting, 40.7% from three and 83.9% at the line while adding 5.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per contest.

It helps that he’s got two standouts next to him with Final in Jalil Bethea and Rob Wright to form arguably the most dynamic backcourt on the EYBL circuit. At Pangos, they’re all on separate teams.

Nowell opened the event going for 17 points on 8-12 shooting to go with eight assists, six rebounds and one steal to go with just one turnover. He helped set the floor for four-star wing Rakease Passmore, who tied for second on the night in total event scoring with 28 points on 11-14 shooting.

The Kentucky target won’t turn any heads physically, but he will with his consistent all-around production. He continued that on Sunday at Pangos.

Kon Knueppel

Arguably the best shooter in the class, Knueppel has exploded this spring, leading the entire EYBL circuit in scoring with 22.5 points on ridiculous 50/47/81 splits as a high-usage, high-volume scorer for Phenom University.

That efficiency didn’t slow down to open the Pangos event, going for a team-high 19 points on 8-10 shooting and 3-5 from three while adding two rebounds and two assists in a win. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound shooting guard out of Milwaukee was recently bumped up to No. 16 overall and No. 5 at his position in the latest On3 Player Rankings.

Polished and mechanically sound with a confident, quick-trigger jumper, any college would be lucky to land his commitment.

Jalil Bethea

Like Knueppel, Bethea has exploded this spring and is a clear five-star in the making — he’s already jumped up to No. 14 overall in On3’s latest update. He averaged 18.6 points on 49.8% shooting, 42.6% from three and 84.2% at the line for Team Final in the EYBL regular season.

How did he do at Pangos? Much of the same for the 6-foot-4 shooting guard, scoring 16 points on 7-12 shooting and 2-5 from three while adding four rebounds and three assists. He’s crafty and confident, comfortable putting the ball on the floor to get to his spots and launch out to NBA range.

Bethea is a clear stock riser in the class, one worth purchasing sooner rather than later.

Nate Guerengomba

It wouldn’t be fair to include a top-performer list without mentioning the overall leading scorer, right?

Guerengomba, a 6-4 wing out of Branson, MO, is listed as a consensus three-star prospect. His offer list consists of Iowa, Maryland, New Mexico State, Rhode Island, Rutgers, Seton Hall and Virginia Tech, barely top-50 at his position — he’s the No. 212 overall prospect and No. 49 small forward in the On3 Industry Ranking.

Despite coming in a bit under the radar, Guerengomba exploded for an event-high 33 points on a smooth 11-16 shooting overall and a ridiculous 9-11 from three. He also added five rebounds, one assist and one steal with zero turnovers.