Best center in 2024 recruiting class isn’t coming to UK. Flory Bidunga picks another blue blood.

The best big man in the 2024 recruiting class has made his college commitment, and he won’t be coming to Lexington.

Flory Bidunga — a consensus five-star recruit who plays high school basketball in Indiana — made his long-awaited college commitment Saturday night during halftime of the weather-shortened boys’ Under Armour Next Elite 24 game in Atlanta.

Bidunga, a dominant center, made his pledge to Kansas, selecting the Jayhawks from a final list of four schools that also included Auburn, Duke and Michigan.

Significant changes occurred in Bidunga’s recruitment in recent days.

Long thought of as a likely Duke commitment, Bidunga’s college commitment was undoubtedly affected by the news Cooper Flagg — a 6-foot-8 power forward that was considered one of the top prospects in the class of 2025 — is reclassifying to the 2024 recruiting class.

Flagg is viewed as a Duke lean, at this time.

Additionally, Bidunga was rumored to be heading to Auburn following these developments with Flagg, only for Bidunga to don a Kansas hat during his Saturday announcement.

While Kentucky failed to make the final list of schools for Bidunga, a scholarship offer from UK was extended to him in October 2022.

Bidunga announced that scholarship offer from the Cats on social media, noting that his offer arrived after conversations with head coach John Calipari and associate coach Orlando Antigua.

A 6-foot-10 center (measurement via the Under Armour Next Elite 24 roster), Bidunga is ranked as the No. 4 player in the class of 2024 and the No. 1 center in the class by the 247Sports Composite.

Bidunga’s standout skills include rim protection and the ability to finish above the basket.

“Flory pops off the floor in an outlier way, rising up quicker than his peers while having the length to really capitalize on it in multiple ways,” said Alex Brown, an analyst with Pro Insight Basketball. “Currently, Flory’s most translatable skills are the finishing and rim protection, both of which project as elite.”

“There’s not a more dynamic, productive defensive anchor in grassroots basketball right now,” added Max Feldman, who works in a national grassroots basketball scouting role for MADE Hoops.

While Bidunga has become a full-blown prep basketball star playing for Kokomo High School in Indiana, he only moved to north-central Indiana in 2021. Bidunga is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the same home nation as former UK great Oscar Tshiebwe.

There was optimism among UK fans and staff that Kentucky’s early scholarship offer to Bidunga could lead to fruitful courtship, but that never fully materialized.

Bidunga didn’t take a recruiting visit to Lexington, despite publicly expressing a desire to do so.

He officially dropped Kentucky from consideration in July, when a top-four list was announced of Auburn, Duke, Kansas and Michigan.

A few weeks later, Bidunga is now set to become a Kansas Jayhawk.

While Bidunga has always impressed as a prospect thanks to his athleticism and strength, he’s also adding more to his skill repertoire, especially on the offensive end.

Both Brown and Feldman noted to the Herald-Leader that Bidunga has improved his passing ability.

“Flory does have areas to shore up for the next level,” Brown explained. “The jumper is still in development, as is the post creation, ball handling, and playmaking, but all have shown flashes of potential throughout summer experimentation with Indiana Elite (Bidunga’s grassroots team).”

Bidunga is the first class of 2024 player to commit to Kansas.

“He pops as a prototypical SEC type big. Rim running, rebounding and playing in tempo,” Feldman said of Bidunga. “Indiana Elite puts him in positions to thrive offensively now, surrounding him with shooting and heady processors. Having a balance of that, along with point-of-attack defenders who can allow him to roam and wreak havoc on the backline.”

Kentucky men’s basketball 2024 recruiting efforts

The Kentucky men’s basketball program currently has 16 scholarship offers out to players in the class of 2024, but not every offer is on equal footing.

Some belong to players like Bidunga, who have committed to other schools or announced they are no longer considering UK.

Others are held by players with an open recruitment.

Center Somto Cyril is currently UK’s only 2024 commitment.

Here’s a look at each player with a UK scholarship offer in the 2024 class, and where their recruitment stands.

▪ PG Tahaad Pettiford committed to Auburn in February.

▪ PG Travis Perry told Rivals earlier this summer he’s taken official visits to Michigan, Purdue, Cincinnati and Ole Miss, with more visits to come.

▪ SG Tre Johnson has a final list of six schools: Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Kansas, Kentucky and Texas. He took an official visit to UK in January. Johnson recently told Rivals he doesn’t have a set timeline to make his commitment.

▪ SG Ian Jackson committed to North Carolina in January.

▪ SG Billy Richmond’s father played for John Calipari at Memphis in the early 2000s, and Richmond plays for the same high school, Camden (N.J.), that produced ex-Cat Lance Ware and current Cats Aaron Bradshaw and D.J. Wagner.

▪ CG Boogie Fland has taken official visits so far to North Carolina, Michigan and Indiana. Fland will visit Kentucky in September. UK is in the final list of eight schools for Fland.

▪ CG Ahmad Nowell committed to UConn in July.

▪ SG Isaiah Elohim took an official visit to Kansas in February.

▪ SF Naas Cunningham does not have UK among his final five schools — Duke, Kansas, Memphis, Rutgers and UCLA.

▪ SF Karter Knox included Kentucky in his list of eight schools and professional pathways in May. Knox, whose older brother Kevin was a one-and-done player at UK and an NBA Draft lottery pick, will play in the Overtime Elite league for his final high school season.

▪ SF Airious Bailey committed to Rutgers in January.

▪ SF Amier Ali released a list of his top eight schools In April — Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Florida State, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio State and Texas.

▪ C Flory Bidunga committed to Kansas on Saturday night.

▪ C Somto Cyril is committed to Kentucky. Cyril became the first, and so far only, class of 2024 player to commit to UK when he did so in June.

▪ C Patrick Ngongba II is UK’s most recent offer in the 2024 class. He collected the Kentucky scholarship offer shortly after Peach Jam ended in July. UK made the final list of eight schools for Ngongba.

▪ C Jayden Quaintance received his Kentucky scholarship offer when he was still a five-star class of 2025 big man, but he recently announced plans to reclassify into the 2024 recruiting group. Quaintance has already taken an unofficial visit to Kentucky.

Quaintance plays prep basketball at Word of God Christian Academy, a school based in Raleigh, North Carolina, that also produced UK legend John Wall. Word of God competes in the Overtime Elite league.