Auburn moving closer to landing highest recruit in history

Auburn basketball is closing in on who could be their highest-rated recruit in the history of the program, Flory Bidunga, with the Tigers making the Kokomo, Indiana center’s top five along with Michigan, Kansas, and Duke.

“Flory Bidunga — who, if he commits, would be the highest rated recruit in Auburn basketball history — included head coach Bruce Pearl’s team in his final four schools announced on social media Monday,” AL.com’s Matt Cohen relayed.

A Bidunga commitment would certainly be a tangible mark of how far AU has come under Bruce Pearl since taking the job in 2014. While he isn’t as tall, Bidunga could be a rim-protector in the vein of a Walker Kessler given his five blocks per game at the high school level this past season.

Auburn basketball recruit no longer taking visits to any schools

Bidunga never took a visit to the Plains but per an interview with Rivals’ Rob Cassidy, the big man revealed he is no longer taking visits to any schools — possibly indicating that the Tigers are not as in on Bidunga as the other three historical “blue bloods” in the running for him.

“I don’t have an announcement date and I don’t want to be in a rush, so I’m still going to take my time,” Bidunga said. “No more visits, though, I’m done. I want to get to the next level, so which school can help me improve myself is a big piece. Which school sets me up best for that is a big thing. Then the coaching staff, too and the school. All that stuff matters.”

Bidunga has a unique chance to lead the Tigers to their first NCAA championship in program history if that doesn’t happen this coming season, but joining a program known for being a factory for NBA superstars like Duke, Kansas, and Michigan all could make AU an underdog that got close but came back devoid of smoke without a cigar.