Duke Basketball: Premier Center Reportedly Has Eye on Blue Devils

The Duke basketball interest in Kokomo (Ind.) center Flory Bidunga looks legit. Some chatter even suggests the Blue Devils could become the home-stretch frontrunner to land the 6-foot-9, 220-pound rising high school senior, a five-star prospect who ranks No. 4 overall and No. 1 at his position on the 247Sports 2024 Composite.

Kentucky Sports Radio's Jack Pilgrim recently spoke to Bidunga, a long-time target of Kentucky, and noted that the Congo native "has had his eye on" Duke.

And on Friday, a few days after reporting that Jon Scheyer and his staff in Durham are now recruiting Bidunga, notoriously cryptic recruiting insider Andrew Slater tweeted the following "Things move fast.." message and GIF in response to a tweet from On3's Joe Tipton about the race:

Things move fast.. https://t.co/a2chOUwyly pic.twitter.com/NL7o1LZPYb
— 𝒜𝓃𝒹𝓇ℯ𝓌 𝒮𝓁𝒶𝓉ℯ𝓇 (@Andrew__Slater) June 9, 2023

Note the GIF is from the HBO series "Succession" and that Scheyer, entering his second season as head coach of the Blue Devils, is still best known nationally as the successor to Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. In other words, there seems to be little doubt that Slater's tweet is about the Duke basketball recruiting powerhouse.

Flory Bidunga plans to choose a college destination sometime before his senior year begins in August and has repeatedly denied in interviews the persistent rumors that he's considering a late reclass to 2023.

His offer sheet is more than a dozen deep, including a pair of bluebloods in Kentucky and Kansas. He has not named finalists.

Wherever Bidunga ends up, he has the potential to be an instant game-changer, despite growing up as a soccer player and only recently finding his way to the basketball court before moving to America two years ago.

Top 5 ranked Flory Bidunga highlights at the Pangos All-American Camp! @FBidunga @PangosAACamp pic.twitter.com/Gq6D4sq0ja
— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) June 8, 2023

Pilgrim, who compared Bidunga to former Kentucky superstar big man Oscar Tshiebwe while pointing out that Bidunga is the "longer and more athletic" of the two, summarized his ferocious play:

"He's only been playing basketball for four years, yet does things no one else in high school can. An explosive leaper with a lightning-quick second jump, he's a terror around the basket offensively. He essentially looks down at the rim on jump hooks and looks to tear it down entirely on dunks. And if that doesn't impress you, just wait until he gets back on defense...Bidunga is a truly exceptional shot-blocker...Attempting to score on him inside takes guts (followed by a psych evaluation). If there was ever a kid to bet on as a college star, it's this one."

Duke basketball's only reported offer recipient among undecided 2024 centers is Paul VI Catholic (Va.) four-star Patrick Ngongba II. He's on an official visit with the Blue Devils this weekend.

But most 2024-25 roster projections would say there is room for more than one top-shelf post player in Scheyer's 2024 recruiting haul.

Meanwhile, Duke's two 2024 commits thus far are both small forwards: Paul VI Catholic four-star Darren Harris and North Meck (N.C.) five-star Isaiah Evans.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke basketball recruiting news.