Five-Star Center Flory Bidunga Down to Four Schools, Indiana Misses Cut

Flory Bidunga, a five-star center from Kokomo High School in Indiana, is down to four schools: Auburn, Duke, Kansas and Michigan. Indiana was heavily involved with Bidunga's recruitment, but ultimately missed out. Coach Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers will now likely focus on class of 2024 centers Derik Queen and Patrick Ngongba II.

Flory Bidunga had another dominant weekend, but it came with a hit to Indiana's chances of landing the five-star recruit. After scoring 21 points with eight rebounds and four blocks for Indiana Elite on Friday at the Sportradar Showdown in Henderson, Nev., Bidunga updated his recruitment.

“I don’t have an announcement date and I don’t want to be in a rush, so I’m still going to take my time,” Bidunga told Rivals' Rob Cassidy. “No more visits, though, I’m done.”

And on Monday, Bidunga narrowed his list to four schools: Auburn, Duke, Kansas and Michigan. 

Bidunga reportedly planned to take an official visit to Indiana before the start of his senior year at Kokomo High School. But that visit, which would have been his last, won't happen now. 

Indiana All-Star Junior Flory Bidunga (20) walks across the court Wednesday, June 7, 2023, during the Indiana All-Stars vs. Juniors boys game at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis :: Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Bidunga visited Bloomington on Oct. 8, 2022 and was seen at multiple Indiana games throughout the 2022-23 season, but he has since shifted his focus to other schools.  

At 6-foot-9, Bidunga has dominated the AAU circuit with Indiana Elite this summer, leading to his No. 4 national ranking, per 247 Sports, On3, Rivals and ESPN. He was named Gatorade Indiana Boys Basketball Player of the Year as a junior, and he's the heavy favorite to win Indiana Mr. Basketball in 2024.

Though Indiana is now out of the running for Bidunga, Mike Woodson and the Indiana coaching staff are in the mix for a few talented centers in the 2024 class.

Indiana has been heavily involved with Derik Queen's recruitment, hosting him on an official visit on Sept. 25, 2022 alongside his Montverde Academy teammate Liam McNeeley, a five-star small forward in the class of 2024. 

Queen, a 6-foot-9 center, is a consensus five-star recruit and widely considered the second best center in the class of 2024, behind Bidunga. Queen is ranked No. 6 in the nation by 247 Sports, No. 10 by On3 and ESPN and No. 19 by Rivals. He's originally from Baltimore, Md., and Maryland is seen as another top contender in his recruitment.

Queen is a crafty scorer around the rim, and he's had an impressive summer with Team Thrill.

Derik Queen had led Team Thrill to the UAA Semifinals 👀🔥@UANextBHoops @UAbasketball @TeamThrillUAA pic.twitter.com/0huE99A1NX

— SLAM HS Hoops (@SLAM_HS) July 8, 2023

Another option for Indiana in the class of 2024 is center Patrick Ngongba II, who recently included the Hoosiers in his top-eight list. The 6-foot-11 center is also considering Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Kansas State, Providence and defending national champion UConn.

Ngongba is a consensus four-star recruit, ranked No. 26 in the nation and No. 3 among centers, behind Bidunga and Queen.

For a breakdown of Ngongba's game, CLICK HERE to read a film study story from HoosiersNow.com reporter Daniel Olinger. 

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