That earned Bidunga a last-minute invite to the NBPA Top 100 camp, which annually brings together the best players from around the country. Playing in front of a full house every single game, you could only buy half a season ticket because everyone wanted one, so you could only buy one half at a time. See more photos from his high school career. WebRealGM Trade Checker Step 1: Select the Teams Choose at least two teams from the menus below to start your trade. But his impact on Howard County and across the state became obvious in the hours after his passing. Bidunga, in his first high school basketball season after coming to Kokomo from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, did not really know what he was doing on the court despite his 6-9, 215-pound frame. WebKokomo High School, Kokomo (IN) Players. When the school song came on, it was electric. The Kats jumped to a 6-0 lead for what ended up being the game's biggest lead. Its a cant-miss event.. Dont try to do anything different than what youve always been doing. High School Kokomo. Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. And the Wildkats (4-2) have good players around Bidunga, like senior guard Zavion Bellamy (22 points Friday), sophomore Zion Bellamy (12 points) and junior Reis Beard (19 points). But it was just a bigger arena than obviously than Memorial Gym or Mackey Arena over at Purdue. I just try to do my best and do whatever I can for my teammates to win the game. And they ask me how Goose compares with Flory, and its a really hard question to answer. Kokomo forward Karson Rogers puts up a shot against Penn in the championship game of the Michigan City Semistate on Saturday, March 19, 2023. First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Hardimon was one of the Kats' stars in the title game. Peckinpaugh knows what that is like, too, starting on state finalist teams at Muncie Central. SEAL BEACH, Calif. During her decade spent as the director of the International Baccalaureate program at Kokomo (Ind.) Gusty winds and small hail are possible. He was playing against some really good players, most of them seniors, and hes just blocking shots, dunking everything, playing physical, playing real hard, Burlison says. The name is Flory. A lot of people ask me about playing with Goose Ligon, and everybody has heard that name. I believed it was possible the summer going in. He had heard that the new arrival had not played basketball for very long, but it What is the best advice for the team this weekend? Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. Obviously, the magical part of it was that we hit a buzzer beater in regionals. He averaged 17.5 points, 13.3 rebounds and 5.3 blocks while leading Kokomo to the semifinals of Indianas Class 4A tournament. Even the opponents, for example my brother Dave being a starter on the 1961 team against the VanArsdale twins, they are still friends today. Ligon was also first-team all-state in football. He starred there for two seasons, averaging 17.7 points and 16.7 points in his two seasons, earning first-team all-conference honors. Just 10 months later, this tall young man with the high ceiling has outgrown every expectation and then some. I cannot even imagine trying to say which one is better. Shayne Spear celebrates after hitting a three. To me, the shooting was different because of all the background. He is equally dominant on the defensive end. Class 2024. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the best local news, sports and entertainment coverage. He was also a star quarterback on the football team and pitched for the baseball team. I went to Kokomo games all my life, so the Kokomo spirits always been in me. A 6'7" forward / center, Ligon starred at Kokomo High School in So what happened was the downtown campus had eighth and ninth grades. WebKokomo (IN) Class Year Senior 2024 HT/WT 6'10" Teams V. Basketball #40 C Home Bio Videos Stats Photos News / Flory Bidunga Flory Bidunga Latest Updates 2022-23 MaxPreps Junior All-America Basketball Team 73105 views | More Videos: Dylan Harper Airious Bailey Isaiah Evans Tre Johnson Flory Bidunga Flory Bidunga's Bio Full Bio Stat I told him, Flory, you have to talk with me, so take a deep breath. At that time, we played a morning game and had the state championship at night. His ascent continued unabated last week at the Adidas 3SSB Open, where Bidunga overpowered the competition and led his Indiana Elite squad to the Under 16 championship. It was the final regular-season game at Church Street Gym. BOYS BB: Kokomo beats Penn for spot in State Finals. Lawrence North was surprisingly dominant in all four games, defeating quality opponents Mt. After Rogers' block, Penn fouled Kokomo's Shayne Spear and he calmly knocked down two free throws for a 58-54 lead. Flory gets here and has no bad habits, wants to learn and wants to be coached and 99.9% of the time hes going to be one of the hardest workers in the gym. To this day, I know theyre amazing. One rule: No school would have more than a 10-player roster. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. Dec 24, 2022 Kokomos Flory Bidunga is the Class of 2024s No. Also a track star, played both sports at Northwestern. To me personally, its loyalty. In 2011, its not too long ago, but its some time. Hughes went on to play at Purdue, where he averaged 7.6 points in 58 games over three seasons. He has taken recent visits to Auburn, Butler, Cincinnati, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue. They still text back and forth quite often. And the feeling that gave us, to this day, we still talk about it. Last year, Kokomo fans got a taste of it again when Bidunga caught the attention of the state by leading the Wildkats to the Class 4A semistate before losing to Chesterton, averaging 17.5 points, 13.3 rebounds and 5.3 blocked shots per game. All rights reserved. What does it mean to you to be a Kokomo Wildkat? I went to not only all my brothers basketball and football games, but I went to all the girls basketball games too. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. High School Kokomo. First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. @KyleNeddenriep joins us to share his thoughts 2022-23. Thats just me. Were not the big city like Indianapolis. So it was all just new to us and very exciting. In front of Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and Cincinnati assistant Mike Roberts on Friday, Bidunga finished with 25 points, 15 rebounds and 11 blocked shots for his second consecutive triple-double. He played on two championships teams and retired in 1988 as the CBAs all-time leading scorer with 8,538 points. And then I had several friends who didnt play on the basketball team, but they were mount men and cheerleaders, so them heading down to Market Square Arena, they had some deal where they would dribble down there. Kokomo defeats Penn 58-57 to win the semistate championship at Michigan City High School on Saturday, March 18, 2023. Rayl was named All-Big Ten and All-American in 1962 and again in 1963, and he established an IU and then-Big Ten record when he scored 56 points in a game against Minnesota in 1962. We hit a buzzer beater the next week in semistate. Back when we were playing, I dont know, there were other teams that were good too. Bidunga led the Kats with 25 points and 22 rebounds, his 50th double-double in 55 career games. Russell Rut Walter Walter was Kokomos first star player and considered on the states best all-round athletes of the 1920s. He scored more than 40 points in a game six times as a senior and was the runaway choice for Mr. Basketball in 1959 as Kokomo reached the state championship game, losing to Crispus Attucks. Check out Warsaw's rosterand compare it to Kokomo's, then vote for the team you'd think would win. Mar 24, 2023. A standout at Kokomo High School (Ind. Hes special because he makes energy and hustle plays on a consistent basis.. 2022 Kokomo Wildkats Boys Basketball Camp Date: May 9th -12th Early Session - Grades 1 - 4 (5pm-6:30pm) Late Session - Grades 5 - 8 (6:45pm-8:00pm) Cost: $30 per player Use link below to access camp flyer/sign-up Boys Basketball Camp 2022 North Central Conference . C IN 99.28 + 4 1 1 cycle 6 out of 5 strength 99 4 1 1 99 4 1 1 93 4 1 1 - 4 1 - Industry Comparison About Recruiting Prediction Machine Duke Blue Devils 48.8% Cincinnati Bearcats 41.4% Michigan Wolverines 2.4% Florida Gators 1.5% Predictions Unlocked All Predictions Jansen is the owner and CEO of a second-generation family Tax Service as well as an Asphalt Sealing Company in Kokomo, Indiana. But we ended up winning after being behind by seven points with one minute to go. Rayl, who ironically befriended Purdue University basketball coach Matt Painter in adulthood, later got a job with Xerox and worked 30 years on a sales route in central Indiana, according to a 2015 Indy Star column. Indiana Player of the Year: Flory Bidunga. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. High School, Heidi Gutwein has grown used to hearing students from foreign lands say they like to play sports. What does it mean to you to be a Kokomo Wildkat? Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Zavion Bellamy puts up a shot. 3 Long Island Lutheran, No. Kokomo junior Flory Bidunga is the boys basketball Gatorade Player of the Year for Indiana. I cant let all these things get into my head, so I just have to try to focus and do my thing.. 60. They play with high intensity, and it seems like they have great comradery with each other. Flory Bidunga puts up a shot. Its a difference when youre in a gym thats kind of closed in versus a gym that has big backdrops. Then, the other people would buy the other half. Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: You have permission to edit this article. The state championship game (in 1961) was at Hinkle Fieldhouse, and it was a madhouse. And our starting point guard, Brian Reaves, his son actually plays now for the Los Angeles Lakers.
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