I was asked by @DdaWolverine on Friday about what we were hearing regarding five-star big man Flory Bidunga. I wanted to do something a bit more formal on top of the discussion we had in the thread about him here.
This is what we are hearing.
There has been a lot of chatter about where Michigan sits for Bidunga right now and the Wolverines were named as a finalist for him not too long ago. As of right now, I believe the Wolverines are right in the thick of things for him, but competing against Duke and Kansas for him won't be an easy task.
Adidas' connections to Bidunga's AAU team, 3SSB, is something that cannot be ignored and would fall in Kansas' favor. Duke is still Duke and beating either of those basketball powers for a player of Bidunga's caliber would be the best recruiting win of the Juwan Howard era. Kansas has Hunter Dickinson, who could very well end up staying two years in Lawrence, as Bidunga is widely considered a two-year player, would he want to pick the path that's easiest to playing time? You can also make the argument that Tarris Reed could impede Bidunga's playing time in Ann Arbor but, with the way the roster looks right now, Bidunga would enter and get plenty of time on the court.
Now there are some things that are working in the Wolverines' favor, too, so hope is not all lost. Phil Martelli is one of the major reasons why the Wolverines are so highly considered in the first place. Martelli has worked his butt off in this recruitment and deserves a lot of credit no matter which way this one turns out. Some believe the Wolverines are right in the thick of the top three with Kansas and Duke. I do see a scenario where he picks U-M but it's not clear that's the direction it'll go.
As for a decision, it has been widely speculated that it could come by the end of July, so we wouldn't have to wait too long to get an answer one way or the other.
I do think the Wolverines are in contention but it's very hard for me to see a scenario where it beats out the likes of Duke or Kansas, especially with the Adidas ties and connections to Bill Self's program.
This is what we are hearing.
There has been a lot of chatter about where Michigan sits for Bidunga right now and the Wolverines were named as a finalist for him not too long ago. As of right now, I believe the Wolverines are right in the thick of things for him, but competing against Duke and Kansas for him won't be an easy task.
Adidas' connections to Bidunga's AAU team, 3SSB, is something that cannot be ignored and would fall in Kansas' favor. Duke is still Duke and beating either of those basketball powers for a player of Bidunga's caliber would be the best recruiting win of the Juwan Howard era. Kansas has Hunter Dickinson, who could very well end up staying two years in Lawrence, as Bidunga is widely considered a two-year player, would he want to pick the path that's easiest to playing time? You can also make the argument that Tarris Reed could impede Bidunga's playing time in Ann Arbor but, with the way the roster looks right now, Bidunga would enter and get plenty of time on the court.
Now there are some things that are working in the Wolverines' favor, too, so hope is not all lost. Phil Martelli is one of the major reasons why the Wolverines are so highly considered in the first place. Martelli has worked his butt off in this recruitment and deserves a lot of credit no matter which way this one turns out. Some believe the Wolverines are right in the thick of the top three with Kansas and Duke. I do see a scenario where he picks U-M but it's not clear that's the direction it'll go.
As for a decision, it has been widely speculated that it could come by the end of July, so we wouldn't have to wait too long to get an answer one way or the other.
I do think the Wolverines are in contention but it's very hard for me to see a scenario where it beats out the likes of Duke or Kansas, especially with the Adidas ties and connections to Bill Self's program.
