2024 5* C Flory Bidunga (Kansas)

[ellitor 33,093]

3 hours ago, KansasTiger said:

Glad we lost Marshall to end up not getting Bidunga. Reminds me of Desi Sills and Trey Alexander.

@KansasTiger We were letting Marshall go anyway because he wasn't doing what the staff asked with his weight and fitness.

[bigbird 60,529]

18 minutes ago, ellitor said:

@KansasTiger We were letting Marshall go anyway because he wasn't doing what the staff asked with his weight and fitness.

Was about to say the same thing 

[KansasTiger 3,248]

55 minutes ago, ellitor said:

@KansasTiger We were letting Marshall go anyway because he wasn't doing what the staff asked with his weight and fitness.

Good to know. I wasn't aware there was a secondary reason.

[ellitor 33,093]

36 minutes ago, KansasTiger said:

Good to know. I wasn't aware there was a secondary reason.

Was posted in the last page or 2 of the Marshall thread.

[KansasTiger 3,248]

4 minutes ago, ellitor said:

Was posted in the last page or 2 of the Marshall thread.

Then that's on me. I stopped following that thread once we had dropped him.

[toddc 13,194]

Rivals moved him up a couple of notches I think.

[toddc 13,194]

Key Auburn target Flory Bidunga is nearing a decision

JD McCarthy

Five-star center Flory Bidunga is one of Auburn’s top targets in the 2024 recruiting class and he is nearing a decision.

“I’m coming towards the end,” Bidunga told Dushawn London of 247Sports. “I want to make a decision pretty soon. It’s been pretty good time being recruited by all these schools and seeing that they offered me shows they see me in their program. I feel like I’m close to making my decision.”

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He added that Auburn, Duke, Michigan, Indiana, Cincinnati and Kansas are recruiting him hard.

Bidunga spoke about what stands out from each school recruiting him and had great things to say about Bruce Pearl.

“BP, that’s what I call Bruce Pearl. He’s a good coach, and good guy who really cares about his players.”

Bidunga is the No. 4 overall player and No. 1 center in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is also the No. 1 player in Indiana after coming to the United States from his home country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

He took an official visit to Auburn back on Nov. 11, 2022, and is one of just six centers Auburn has offered in the 2024 recruiting class. With Johni Broome expected to head to the NBA after this season he would be immediately contending for playing time should he pick Auburn.

[arktiger1975 518]

With only one year of organized basketball, his ceiling is likely off the charts.

[KansasTiger 3,248]

On 7/8/2023 at 11:09 AM, toddc said:

Key Auburn target Flory Bidunga is nearing a decision

JD McCarthy

Five-star center Flory Bidunga is one of Auburn’s top targets in the 2024 recruiting class and he is nearing a decision.

“I’m coming towards the end,” Bidunga told Dushawn London of 247Sports. “I want to make a decision pretty soon. It’s been pretty good time being recruited by all these schools and seeing that they offered me shows they see me in their program. I feel like I’m close to making my decision.”

Buy Tigers Tickets

He added that Auburn, Duke, Michigan, Indiana, Cincinnati and Kansas are recruiting him hard.

Bidunga spoke about what stands out from each school recruiting him and had great things to say about Bruce Pearl.

“BP, that’s what I call Bruce Pearl. He’s a good coach, and good guy who really cares about his players.”

Bidunga is the No. 4 overall player and No. 1 center in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is also the No. 1 player in Indiana after coming to the United States from his home country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

He took an official visit to Auburn back on Nov. 11, 2022, and is one of just six centers Auburn has offered in the 2024 recruiting class. With Johni Broome expected to head to the NBA after this season he would be immediately contending for playing time should he pick Auburn.

Do we have a real chance here? Thought I heard we were trending down. 

[ellitor 33,093]

4 hours ago, KansasTiger said:

Do we have a real chance here? 

Doesn’t look like it.

[bigbird 60,529]

20 hours ago, KansasTiger said:

Do we have a real chance here? Thought I heard we were trending down. 

In it for a while and are more in it than publicly known, but the Duke offer changed everything.

[gravejd 3,270]

Can't blame a kid for accepting an offer from Duke

[WFE12 9,191]

I know we say AU is an everything school now but seeing this is still something else. Right with the blue bloods.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,669]

Would be the biggest recruiting win Auburn has had in my lifetime for them to pull him from Duke, just from what Twitter has given me

[AuburnNTexas 7,148]

From what I have read he has never taken an official visit to Auburn and he said he will not take anymore official visits.  If that is correct I don't think we really have a shot at him. As the old saying goes close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

[autan 737]

I think you are right, unfortunately. It's a nice gesture for Bidunga to include Auburn in the final group. Coach Pearl and his staff have put a lot of effort into recruiting this young man in the right way. Very few programs would use their time to go up against Duke, Kansas and Michigan. FB is showing his respect and admiration for our coaches.

[arktiger1975 518]

On 6/18/2023 at 7:51 PM, ellitor said:

@KansasTiger We were letting Marshall go anyway because he wasn't doing what the staff asked with his weight and fitness.

Marshall seemed like a project to me due to the reasons you listed. I never was high on him.

[ellitor 33,093]

2 hours ago, autan said:

Very few programs would use their time to go up against Duke, Kansas and Michigan

@autan When we started recruiting Flory those schools were not involved.

[autan 737]

I would imagine other programs were involved with his recruiting in the beginning, but they probably started dropping off when the Blue Bloods entered the picture. I believe Coach Pearl can hold his own with anyone.  One of the BB's will probably sign him, but Bruce won't make it easy for 'em. WDE CBP!!

[CameronCrazy 1,062]

We have to start competing head to head with the blue bloods. We have to learn how to close when another big-time program wants a kid. 

Alabama just out-recruited North Carolina for Jarin Stevenson. When have we truly beat out a blue blood for a recruit? 

[Cardin Drake 1,828]

Yeah, hardly anyone wanted Jabari Smith...

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,669]

From what I can tell, Smith would be the last one that fits that mold  

I do think it’s worth being slightly concerned about the quantity of these caliber recruits - we seem capable of getting one blue chip in a class and from there it varies. I don’t think we need multiple top 50 guys, but maybe one and another ~top 100? A JT Thor or Jaylin? That’s a good spot to be in, if you’re Auburn imo 

[TexasTiger 12,876]

On 7/17/2023 at 4:21 PM, WFE12 said:

I know we say AU is an everything school now but seeing this is still something else. Right with the blue bloods.

 

[ellitor 33,093]

13 hours ago, CameronCrazy said:

We have to start competing head to head with the blue bloods. We have to learn how to close when another big-time program wants a kid. 

 

@CameronCrazy Not sure how often AU will even be in battles with blue bloods going forward. Bruce just doubled down on his stance in a recent interview of only taing 1-2 recruits per year going forward & getting the rest of the players we need each year through the transfer portal.

[ellitor 33,093]

9 hours ago, Cardin Drake said:

Yeah, hardly anyone wanted Jabari Smith...

@Cardin Drake They wanted him. We just had him on lock before any other major schools got involved.