Where members of KU basketball’s 2024 recruiting class landed in final ESPN Top 100
All three of Kansas men’s basketball’s incoming freshmen (Flory Bidunga, Labaron Philon and Rakease Passmore) made ESPN’s final 100-player ranking for the class of 2024, which was released on Tuesday.
Bidunga, a 6-8 center, led all Jayhawk signees, finishing ranked No. 17 overall. Philon, a 6-4 guard, and Passmore, a 6-5 wing, ranked No. 30 and No. 32, respectively.
Passmore’s jump up the rankings has been massive — at one point, he was outside the ESPN top 100.
“(Two) years ago this time, this young man (Passmore) was nowhere to be found on rankings lists,” said AJ Jones, an assistant coach at Passmore’s high school, on X (formerly Twitter). “The determination, dedication and work that was put in for him to climb from nothing to finishing his HS career at (No.) 32 in the country, is matched by few!! Earned it!!”
Here’s what Kansas coach Bill Self said about Passmore in November.
“When I see Rakease on film and in person ... I see a prototypical Kansas wing,” Self said. “He’s got size. He’s got strength. He’s explosive, can play above the rim. His shooting is getting better and better and he should be able to guard anyone.
“I think he is (one) of the underrated players in this class and I think he will have an immediate impact.”
Philon’s addition to Kansas, meanwhile, came in part because of the head coach.
“I came down to four schools after I decommitted from Auburn, which (were) Kansas, Cincinnati, Alabama and Ole Miss,” Philon said in late February. “It was a hard process because of all the coaches. They kept it real. With (those) four, I could have chosen any school, but I chose Kansas because they have one of the greatest coaches still alive today in the game of basketball at the college level.”
Finally, Bidunga is considered KU’s highest-ranked incoming player, according to ESPN and other outlets.
“Flory is the headliner of our recruiting class thus far,” Self said in November. “He is rated by many to be one of the top players in this year’s recruiting class. Flory is an elite athlete. He can play above the rim. He changes ends as well as anybody. He’s getting stronger and developing more offensive skill. He is probably as good a prospect that we’ve had inside in quite some time.”
