Why KU’s Self, enthused about No. 4-ranked recruiting class, says ‘got to add to it’

The University of Kansas’ three-player basketball recruiting class of 2024 is currently ranked fourth in the country by both Rivals.com and 247sports.com.

The two recruiting services agree that the high school recruiting classes of Duke, Missouri and North Carolina are currently ahead of the Jayhawks’ group of Flory Bidunga, Labaron Philon and Rakease Passmore. Those three players signed national letters of intent with KU last week.

The early signing period ends Wednesday, with another signing period to start in April.

Bidunga, 6-foot-9, 220 pounds from Kokomo (Indiana) High School, is ranked No. 6 in the recruiting class of 2024 by Rivals.com and ESPN.com and No. 8 by 247sports.com.

Philon, 6-3, 175 from Link Year Academy in Branson, Missouri, is ranked No. 27 by 247sports.com, No. 35 by ESPN.com and No. 40 by Rivals.com.

Passmore, 6-5, 180 from Combine Academy in Lincolnton, North Carolina, is rated No. 48 by 247sports.com, No. 49 by Rivals.com and No. 52 by ESPN.com.

“To me, recruiting rankings are so overhyped and overrated,” KU coach Bill Self said Monday. “The bottom line is can that person come to your school, fit in and make you better? I think we’ve done a nice job and got three guys.

“Labaron I think could be as good as any guard in the country. He’s not rated that. Rakease is a prototypical 2, 3 who can guard anybody. I think he can come in with Travis Releford defensive skills the first day on campus and still be a much better scorer.

“I think Flory is as good a lob catcher as there is, (especially) the way we run ball screens and run to the rim,” Self added. “I think he fits us great.”

Bidunga is expected to make the McDonald’s All-America team. Passmore and Philon are strong candidates to also play in the McDonald’s showcase game.

“I don’t know that we’ve had anybody like him athletically. I mean he moves like Darrell Arthur but he’s bigger (than Arthur),” Self said of Bidunga. “He’s not as skilled as ‘Shady’ (Arthur). He moves like that. As far as running and jumping, he (Bidunga) may be there in a class by himself in what we’ve recruited at that position.”

Again speaking of the three-player class in general, Self said: “Will it be the most highly touted class in America? No, because the rankings don’t say that. I think this class can impact our team arguably as much as anybody. Anybody that gets Cooper Flagg, you’d put them No. 1, and deservedly so.”

Duke has landed Flagg, the consensus No. 1 recruit in the country.

“I think we have a really good class. We’ve got to add to it. We can’t be done,” Self said Monday.

KU had a visitor last weekend in Bryson Tucker, a 6-6, 180-pound senior small forward from Bishop O’Connell High in Arlington, Virginia. He is ranked No. 19 in the recruiting class of 2024 by Rivals.com, No. 20 by ESPN.com and No. 26 by 247sports.com.

Originally from Bowie, Maryland, Tucker has reportedly been offered scholarships by KU, Michigan State, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Duke, LSU, Georgetown and others. He has made one other visit, to Michigan State.

He has not announced if he will sign during the early period or wait until spring.