• Flory Bidunga won Indiana Mr. Basketball after only playing organized basketball for three years at Kokomo. He has the “highest ceiling” Kansas has seen under Bill Self, who coached NBA MVPs.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Clad in crimson and blue just fits Kansas basketball freshman Flory Bidunga, much the same way it suited him the previous three years at Kokomo High School.

Bidunga leans back against his locker inside Amica Mutual Pavilion on Wednesday and pulls his headphones off his right ear to respond to a question, just in time to hear the word Kokomo.

Instantly, Bidunga smiles.

It’s roughly an eight-hour drive from Kokomo to Lawrence, Kan. but the support Indiana’s 2024 Mr. Basketball still receives from his Indiana home travels.

“I still get texts. I see people from Kokomo commenting on my posts and showing love,” Bidunga said ahead of Kansas’ first-round NCAA Tournament game against Arkansas at 7:10 p.m. Thursday. “I feel the city behind me.”

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Bidunga feels much the same way about Kansas, which can afford to ease him into a role and let him develop.

Flory Bidunga from Kokomo to Kansas

When Bidunga enrolled at Kokomo as a sophomore from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he’d never played organized basketball.

But he had elite athleticism, the first thing that his Jayhawk teammates noticed when he arrived in Kansas.

“The athleticism jumps off the charts,” center Hunter Dickinson said. “He can put his head at the rim pretty much whenever he wants. He’s got really good instincts, especially blocking the ball. He’s a really aggressive player and he uses his athleticism to his advantage.”

Bidunga’s athleticism is what endeared Kansas coach Bill Self to him.

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Now, it’s about honing that while also making Bidunga a better basketball player.

“He’s got to develop some consistent offensive ways that he can score more points,” Self said. “Right now, he’s a rim runner. Obviously, a lob threat. Scores off of putbacks and in transition. He’s got to get to where he’s a better back-to-the-basket scorer, a better face-up scorer.”

As a freshman, Bidunga is averaging 5.9 points on 71.1% shooting.

Bidunga chose Kansas because Self has a history of molding big men into NBA draft picks, including 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid.

“That will help my future, being coached by coach Self,” Bidunga said. “He has a history with some bigs.”

What is Flory Bidunga’s potential?

Bidunga averages 16.2 minutes per game as a freshman, but his potential has him forecasted as a potential 2025 NBA first-round pick.

“His time in college will probably be shorter than most,” Dickinson said.

Bidunga has shown glimpses of why he’s a pro prospect.

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He had a career-high 19 points against Houston, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, on Jan. 25. His 52 blocked shots this season are the fourth most by a freshman in Kansas history.

“It’s one thing to have athleticism, but to be able to use it is what makes him special and what makes him really good,” Dickinson said.

Right now, Bidunga’s focus is solely on Kansas and how far he can help the Jayhawks advance in the NCAA Tournament.

Beyond that, though, the sky is the limit for the former Kokomo Wildkat.

“I think his ceiling is one of the highest that we’ve had at Kansas in the last several years,” Self said.

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.