Through the Phog
Fansided

5 quick thoughts on Flory Bidunga committing to Kansas basketball

By Joshua Schulman

SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 30: head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks looks on during practice before the 2018 Men's NCAA Final Four at the Alamodome on March 30, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 30: head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks looks on during practice before the 2018 Men's NCAA Final Four at the Alamodome on March 30, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Kansas Jayhawks forward Cliff Alexander (2) Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Kansas Jayhawks forward Cliff Alexander (2) Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Let’s hope he’s not a repeat of former Kansas basketball 5-star big men

Sorry if I seem pessimistic, but I’m just going off the past here. When looking at highly touted big-man recruits who committed to Kansas, you’ll see some concerning names. You have Cheick Diallo (bust), Carlton Bragg (bust), Billy Preston (didn’t play), Silvio de Sousa (yikes), and Ernest Udeh Jr. (transfer).

Then there’s Cliff Alexander, who does remind me a lot of Bidunga. He was undersized as a center and overpowered his high school competition, coincidentally one state over from Bidunga in Illinois. He was on top of the world pre-college. But when he got to Kansas, his game was simply not polished enough to excel at the college level.

Bidunga is rated higher than all the players I mentioned. In fact, as it stands, the only KU commits to have better prospect grades on 247 Sports than him all-time are Andrew Wiggins and Josh Jackson. Don’t get me wrong, I have high hopes for Bidunga — I’m just keeping this worry in the back of my mind.

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