Open Gym Report: Kokomo High School
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Here at Prep Hoops Indiana the fall means it is time to get out to high school open gyms. Indiana High School Basketball teams are now allowed two on court days a week and we take that opportunity to start…
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Continue ReadingHere at Prep Hoops Indiana the fall means it is time to get out to high school open gyms. Indiana High School Basketball teams are now allowed two on court days a week and we take that opportunity to start previewing the upcoming season. In the first week of getting out on the road I hit Fishers, North Central, and Avon. Now this week I’ve been to Connersville and now Kokomo on Wednesday afternoon. The Wildkats feature 5-star junior big man Flory Bidunga Flory Bidunga 6'9" | C Kokomo | 2024 State #7 Nation IN , but also have a lot of other solid pieces. Let’s dive on in.
Roster Breakdown
Head Coach John Peckinpaugh went 19-8 in his first year at Kokomo including a trip to the Class 4A semi-state. Expectations are set very high now for his second season leading the Wildkats program. After taking Indiana High School Basketball by storm last season, 6’9″ Flory Bidunga Flory Bidunga 6'9" | C Kokomo | 2024 State #7 Nation IN has become one of the top prospects in the entire country. The 5-star center in the Class of 2024 is one of the most special players we have had in this basketball-crazed state since Greg Oden. That comparison may seem unfair, but that is the level of impact and talent that Bidunga has at the high school level. He is coming off of a sophomore season that saw him average 17.5 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 5.3 blocks per game. Since then, all he has done is get better. Expect the lefty big man to absolutely dominate games from start to finish this season.
While Bidunga will grab the headlines, and rightfully so, a big reason why the Wildkats are among the Class 4A favorites is due to bringing back all of their rotation pieces from last year’s semi-state run. Kokomo will feature a talented trio of seniors in Shayne Spear Shayne Spear 6'3" | SF Kokomo | 2023 IN , Zavion Bellamy Zavion Bellamy 5'10" | PG Kokomo | 2023 IN , and Patrick Hardimon Patrick Hardimon 6'4" | SF Kokomo | 2023 IN . Spear is a 6’2″ wing who led Kokomo with 50 made three-pointers and averaged 9.3 points with 3.7 rebounds per game as a junior. Bellamy is a dynamic point guard with a strong build and a lot of straight line quickness. He also averaged 9.3 points per game game to go with 3.4 assists. Hardimon is a 6’4″ athletic wing that contributed 6.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He will likely be an X-Factor at times this season for the Kats.
Another key piece a season ago was 5’8″ guard Zion Bellamy Zion Bellamy 5'8" | PG Kokomo | 2025 State IN . The younger brother of Zavion, this dynamic left-handed scorer averaged 6.7 points per game as a freshman. He can score it in bunches and will get hot in a hurry. Rounding out the rotation are guys like junior Reis Beard Reis Beard 5'8" | PG Kokomo | 2024 IN , senior Jace Rayl, senior Brandon Bennett, and junior Karson Rogers Karson Rogers 6'6" | PF Kokomo | 2024 State IN . Senior Deundre Kirby is another name Coach Peckinpaugh mentioned as someone who missed a lot of time last season due to injury.
Outlook
It isn’t fair to say it is state championship or bust because the competition level is too high in Indiana. However, it is fair to say that cutting down the nets at Gainbridge Fieldhouse is the goal for Kokomo. It isn’t often that you can pair the best player in the state with a full returning cast of characters from a semi-state team. That is what the Wildkats have this season as they try to bring the first state title home to Memorial Gymnasium since 1961.