Michigan basketball: A huge visit week that could determine 2023-24 season’s fate

Michigan basketball needs more bodies for this coming season — that’s no secret — and the Wolverines will have their chances to add a few. Two big visitors will hit campus this week, and the coaches will do everything they can to seal the deal with them and shore up the lineup. 

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As of now, Michigan has two returning starters — point guard Dug McDaniel and center Tarris Reed — but there’s not much depth behind either of them, if any. Jaelin Llewellyn is still recovering from a torn ACL, so it’s hard to know how much help he’ll be. The coaches are still working on adding a guard from the portal, as well. 

But this week is about the big men. Class of 2024 standout Flory Bidunga, the No. 3 player in his class according to the On3 industry rankings, will be on campus between now and Friday, and there’s been a lot of talk about him reclassifying to 2023. The Michigan coaches would be all for it and will work hard to land the 6-9, 210-pounder out of Kokomo (Ind.) Kinshasha.

“Bidunga arrived at Kokomo High School from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2021, and the 6-foot-9 prospect with a high ceiling quickly outgrew every expectation and then some,” On3.com reports. “Bidunga, who began playing basketball in 2019, initially dominated in front of college coaches at the NBPA Top-100 Camp in June 2022. He then became a national sensation at the Adidas 3SSB Open, where Bidunga overpowered the competition and led his Indiana Elite squad to the U16 championship.

“He’s not as polished as some of the other guys, but he’s got a great body, great hands, great feel for the game, and gives great effort,” Frank Burlison, a veteran recruiting scout, told The Athletic. “And he’s only going to get bigger and stronger the next few years.”

He’s apparently pushing 6-10 now, as well. 

Cincinnati has apparently been in the driver’s seat here, but Juwan Howard does a good job with big men on campus. We’re not predicting a pledge and U-M seems to have work to do, but we’ll see how it goes. He’s taken unofficial visits to Purdue, Michigan, Cincinnati, Butler, Indiana, and Michigan State. He’s also been on official visits to Auburn and Florida, and this one to U-M will be an official. 

On3.com’s Jamie Shaw calls him a “physical specimen.”

“He is an excellent shot-blocker, both on the ball and from the weak side,” he reported. “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 him work on stretching that out some. But he has touch as a roll man to finish with floaters and short corner jumpers. He needs to improve his free throws as he gets to the line a lot. 

“Offensively, Bidunga has a good IQ; he is smart in dribble hand-offs and can post wide and deep on the block. If help comes, he is able to find the open man and deliver a good pass. He is a good offensive rebounder. Bidunga is left-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.”

Transfer Olivier Nkamhoua will visit Michigan this weekend

Starting June 2, meanwhile, U-M will host Tennessee transfer Olivier Nkamhoua for a visit. The 6-9 big man, a 10.8-ppg scorer last year, is seeing West Virginia and Kansas State this week. 

Michigan was in the driver’s seat at one point, but others jumped into the mix. U-M has since surged again, but they’ll still have work to do. On a positive note, it sounds like the NIL game has strengthened a bit on the basketball side. 

The Wolverines have plenty of minutes for him at the four, and he reacted very positively to their pitch early in the process. He can shoot it, he’s active defensively — frankly, he’s exactly what Michigan needs. 

If Howard and Co. can add him and a guard, that will help immensely. Add Bidunga, too, and now there’s some buzz. 

There are a few guards out there U-M is pursuing, including Toledo’s RayJ Dennis and UC Riverside’s Zyon Pullin. Michigan is still running a bit behind for Dennis, and it’s been quiet on Pullin. But the latter would be a huge get. The 6-4, 194-pounder averaged 21.6 points, 5.0 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game while knocking down 39 percent of his three-pointers last year. 

We’ll continue to keep an eye on all of these recruitments and other Michigan targets in the days to come.