LAWRENCE — Flory Bidunga was already going to join the Kansas basketball program next season as a heralded prospect.

Bidunga, a signee in the Jayhawks’ 2024 recruiting class, is a 247Sports Composite five-star talent out of Indiana. He’s not just his state’s No. 1-ranked player, but nationwide he’s the No. 1-ranked center and No. 7 player overall. The 6-foot-9 and 220-pound talent — as he’s listed by KU — is a force with enviable potential.

But earlier this month, Bidunga added another accolade to his collection that’ll only add to the fervor that’ll build ahead of his arrival. Bidunga became the latest Kansas signee to be named a McDonald’s All-American. And Jayhawks coach Bill Self saw it coming a long, long time ago.

“I basically didn’t have a reaction, because we knew he would be a McDonald’s All-American before he ever committed to us,” Self told reporters Thursday. “He’s been ranked in the top five, basically, for the last couple years and everything. So, that was not a surprise at all. Happy for him. Obviously a culmination of a lot of work and efforts by a lot of people in the young man’s life.”

Bidunga is the 51st Kansas signee to earn the McDonald’s All-American honor, according to a KU release. The list dates back to Darnell Valentine in 1977, and prior to Bidunga saw Elmarko Jackson — a current freshman guard for the Jayhawks — recognized last year. Other names that stand out in recent memory include Gradey Dick in 2022, David McCormack in 2018 and Udoka Azubuike in 2016.

Whether Bidunga’s college career will unfold like any of theirs will be determined in time, but he’s set to join a program that’s poised to continue to have success both in the Big 12 Conference and nationally. Currently, this season, Kansas is in a race for the Big 12 regular season title and a top 10 team in the nation. Despite how the roster could change after the campaign ends, with a number of players potentially set to turn pro, the ability of Self's staff to construct a roster is renowned.

Before that, though, Bidunga has a high school career to wrap up. He has the McDonald’s All-American game April 2 in Houston. For now, the 2024-25 season with the Jayhawks can wait.

“Flory is the headliner of our recruiting class thus far. He's rated by many to be one of the top players in this year’s recruiting class,” Self said back in November in a separate KU release. “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. Coach (Jeremy) Case did a great job with recruiting Flory and his family.”

RELATED: 3 things to think about before Kansas basketball tips off against Big 12-foe Iowa State

RELATED: Kansas women’s basketball continues to thrive at home, but needs to sustain it on the road

RELATED: Breaking down where $10M in outside legal fees paid by KU in its NCAA infractions case went

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball signee Flory Bidunga named McDonald’s All-American