Flory Bidunga
Flory Bidunga is a Congolese college basketball player for the Kansas Jayhawks of the Big 12 Conference.
Bidunga grew up in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He enrolled, at age 15, at Kokomo High School in Kokomo, Indiana via the school's International Baccalaureate program at the recommendation of his parents prior to the beginning of his sophomore year Bidunga averaged 17.5 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 5.3 blocks per game during his first season at Kokomo. As a junior, he was named the Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 20.2 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 4.5 blocks per game. During the season Bidunga tied an Indiana High School Athletic Association record by making 32 consecutive field goals. He also was a starter on Kokomo's varsity soccer team, joining the team during his senior year. Bidunga was selected to play in the 2024 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during his senior basketball season. He was named also named the Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year and Indiana Mr. Basketball after averaging 19.0 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.4 blocked shots, and 3.2 assists per contest.
Recruiting
Bidunga was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class, according to major recruiting services. He was initially unranked, but rose to the top ten over a two month period after his sophomore year following his performance playing in the Amateur Athletic Union circuit. Bidunga committed to play college basketball at Kansas after considering offers from Auburn, Duke, and Michigan. He signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Jayhawks on November 9, 2023, during the early signing period.
College career
Bidunga played in all 34 of Kansas' games during his freshman season, starting in 6. He averaged 16.3 minutes played, 5.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game.