Michigan hosts 2024 five-star center Flory Bidunga on visit

Sep 27, 2022 - 11:00 AM

With football season comes recruiting visits for college basketball programs across the country, and that includes the Michigan Wolverines, who hosted 2024 five-star center Flory Bidunga over the weekend.

The 6-foot-9 center from Kokomo, Indiana is about as high as you can be ranked on the 247Sports composite; he’s a five-star with an overall score of 0.9983 (with 1.0 being a perfect 100 grade). The fourth-ranked recruit in his class and the No. 1 center, Bidunga has received offers from Arizona State, Auburn, Butler, Kansas and UCLA, among others.

The Athletic’s Seth Davis recently wrote about the talented big man who grew up in the Congo. He didn’t even start playing basketball until he was 12, but he has great footwork from playing soccer as a kid.

“I’ve seen all the top players in that class, and he’s a much better prospect than any of them,” said Frank Burlison, a veteran recruiting scout who watched Bidunga told Davis. “I’m not the lone ranger on that based on the college coaches I’ve spoken to. 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, gives great effort. And he’s only going to get bigger and stronger the next few years.”

It’s easy to see why scouts are giving Bidunga high praise, as he’s excellent defender and rebounder who can run the floor well in transition.

What separates Bidunga from other centers in his class is his poise with the ball in his hands. He is incredibly smooth in the half court, can take the defense as it is with his solid court vision or drive to the rim himself. He doesn’t need to showcase his raw power to score thanks to his nimble footwork and solid finishing ability. He also runs the pick-and-roll well and is one of the most powerful dunkers in the 2024 class.

Bidunga truly dominates at the high school level and already has the size to be a Big Ten big. There’s a lot to like about this kid, and Michigan clearly saw enough to get him on a visit before his junior year even starts.

Hopefully Juwan Howard and the Wolverines can land a commitment from Bidunga, who could replace Hunter Dickinson as the offensive cornerstone and dominant post player in Ann Arbor.