Future Kansas Jayhawks basketball player Flory Bidunga played soccer as youngster

Five-star and consensus top five-ranked high school senior basketball prospect Flory Bidunga has advanced rather quickly since being introduced to the sport in 2019 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“One day, we were going shopping with my mom back home,” Bidunga said. “We were going to buy some clothes for me and one guy who was tall saw us and asked my mom if I played basketball and my mom said, ‘No.’ He told my mom, ‘He should be playing basketball.’’’

Bidunga, now a 6-foot-9, 220-pound future University of Kansas basketball player, shared that story in an interview with the Kokomo Tribune. The Kokomo (Indiana) High School senior on Saturday chose KU over Duke, Auburn and Michigan.

“I think I started to play basketball a couple days after he told us to do that,” Bidunga, a native of Kinshasa, the capital city of Congo, added, noting he grew up playing soccer at the center forward position.

“I’m not bad in soccer,” he told the Tribune. “I started to play soccer when I was very young because it’s a popular sport (in Congo).”

Bidunga arrived in the United States as a high school sophomore in 2021 and became immersed in the game of basketball at both Kokomo High School and with Indiana Elite AAU program.

According to stats from Indystar.com, the quick-learning Bidunga as a sophomore averaged 17.5 points, 13.3 rebounds and 5.3 blocked shots. He hit 79% of his floor shots for (19-8) Kokomo High.

As a junior, Bidunga averaged 20.2 points, 13.8 rebounds, 4.5 blocked shots, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He hit 81% from the field for a team that went 24-5 and advanced to the Class 4A state title game. He was named Indiana’s Gatorade Player of the Year.

Some more fun facts from the Indy Star. … Bidunga has scored 1,059 points, grabbed 759 rebounds, blocked 274 shots and dunked 218 times in 56 career games at Kokomo High. He has had as many as 11 dunks in a game, which according to HickoryHusker.com is a state record. He also has made a state-record 32 consecutive field goals. He is the No. 12 all-time leading scorer at Kokomo High. He has career high school highs of 34 points, 24 rebounds and 12 blocks in a single game. He hit 14 shots in 14 attempts as a junior against Logansport High School.

Bidunga had stellar AAU career

Bidunga averaged 17.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.4 blocked shots a game with the Indiana Elite program on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit during the spring and summer of 2023.

He was named co-most outstanding player at the 2023 Pangos All-America camp last spring in Las Vegas, averaging 13.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He hit 83.9% of his shots. In six games at the Sport Radar Showdown in Vegas Bidunga averaged 18.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks a game.

Bidunga, according to On3.com, “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 Under 16 championship. The summer before his junior season, he averaged 18.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game on 76.4% shooting for Indiana Elite.”

Indiana recruited Bidunga heavily

Officially, Bidunga chose Kansas over Duke, Auburn and Michigan. Indiana didn’t make the final cut despite recruiting Bidunga perhaps the longest of any school.

According to the Daily Hoosier, “Bidunga has visited IU multiple times over the last year. He came for Hoosier Hysteria, along with high profile games against North Carolina and Purdue. The IU staff would no doubt like for him to come back for a full length official visit.”

Why KU?

Bidunga spoke to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Paul Biancardi on Saturday night: “Coach (Bill) Self and staff were constantly at my games. I see him as a coach who will push me and teach me on the court. Off the court, he is a caring and nice guy. Very funny … off the court.

“When I watched practice (on visit in early May), I could see how he believes in his players. I know they will develop my talent and help me with my goal of making the NBA. My dream is not to just make it, but stay there,” he added.

Asked what he loves about the sport of basketball, he told thedailyhoosier.com: “It’s basketball, I love to do it, and it’s enjoyable. Playing with my teammates, competing, getting to another step — that’s exciting.”

They said it ...

• ESPN’s Biancardi and Borzello commented on Bidunga Saturday: “Bidunga, who plans to also play soccer this season at Kokomo High School, moves exceptionally well and plays with constant energy and effort. In the open court, he runs with long strides and great open-court speed. A high-level athlete who possesses strength, bounce and agility, Bidunga is at his best when finishing plays at the rim, rebounding and blocking shots,” the ESPN duo wrote.

“His shot-blocking range is impressive, as his willingness to seek rebounds outside of his area. His touch is developing as is his go-to move, a left-handed jump-hook on the right block going toward the middle of the paint. He scores with post-up angles inside and he has the hands to catch and score in the high-low game. The next area of improvement will be his face-up game.”

• Kokomo coach John Peckinpaugh told On3.com: “The scary thing is he’s probably a better kid than he is a basketball player. It’s nice to see someone like him see the hard work pay off.”

• Jamie Shaw of On3.com had this to say about the elite big man: “Bidunga is an explosive player. That is the initial takeaway and the first thing mentioned when talking about the five-star. He plays with excellent timing as a paint protector, getting high above the rim and affecting shots in his area.

“While the explosion is obvious, Bidunga is more than that as a player. He has excellent instincts and spatial awareness. He is a good passer, both with his back to the basket and out of the high and mid-post. Bidunga has a good feel for the defense and gets the ball to where the help is coming from. He is also a natural athlete with a keen ability to change direction and move.

“Bidunga changes ends of the floor better than any big in the class. He will get multiple easy looks at the rim simply by beating his man down the floor. Bidunga is an intimidating athlete. He rebounds in and out of his area, has excellent instincts when blocking shots, and tries to tear the rim off any chance he gets. While the ceiling is not as high as some others, the floor is very high with Bidunga. And he should be ready to contribute early in his career.”

• Bidunga’s Indiana Elite teammate, Travis Perry, to thedailyhoosier.com: “He likes to tell us he’s the point guard. He likes to dribble it up the court.”

• Mark Adams, Indiana Elite AAU coach, to dailyhoosier.com: “If he becomes a consistent 3-point and mid-range shooter, it’s going to be over for anybody trying to guard him … He’s worked his tail off, and he can handle it (double-team) now. When he’s getting jumped by two guys it can still get a little touchy, but his ball handling is really good, especially for a guy his size.”

• Here’s what nbadraftroom.com has to say about Bidunda: “Bidunga is a powerhouse of an athlete; 6-10 and explosive off the ground with a rock solid frame and good length. He’s fairly new to the American game and is improving at a tremendous rate, showing off elite upside. Bidunga plays above the rim with ease and has really good hands and a soft touch around the basket. Can score with his back to the basket, showing off a smooth lefty jump hook and can step back and shoot it from mid range.

“At this point he’s not much of a threat to score from outside but he is capable of hitting a 3-point shot and this will almost certainly be part of his game at the NBA level. He also shows off some decent ball handling ability in the open court. Can rip and run and push the ball up the floor. His handles are not yet advanced but the promise is there and you can see the potential of what he will become in time.”

Famous players from Congo

Retired NBA player Dikembe Mutumbo is from Congo, as is former Kentucky big man Oscar Tshiebwe and current NBA player Jonathan Kuminga.