Michigan State commit Jesse McCulloch holds his own in ‘fun’ match-up against Flory Bidunga
Fort Wayne, Ind. – Michigan State commitment Jesse McCulloch didn’t hoist the championship trophy at the Bill Hensley Memorial Run-N-Slam, but he did play evenly in a match-up with consensus Top 10 big man Flory Bidunga on Sunday afternoon in Fort Wayne.
“It was a great experience for Jesse to go up against Flory,” Indy Heat coach John Avery said afterward. “Those are two of the best big men that I have seen in some time in their respective manners. Jesse is a big that can go inside and out and then Flory is an enforcer. When (Bidunga) catches the ball and can go left, he is going to always be putting pressure on the rim.”
It’s hard to argue that McCulloch outplayed Bidunga, given that the later scored one more point than the Michigan State commitment. Bidunga, a Michigan State recruiting target, also totaled more rebounds, and more blocked shots than McCulloch in a 75-52 victory for Indiana Elite. McCulloch did, however, give as much as he got in one of the more intriguing match-ups of the weekend. McCulloch’s strong performance in a tough match-up with Bidunga provides strong evidence that the Ohioan is well-suited for Tom Izzo’s program, which faces talented bigs on a game-in game out basis in the Big Ten, as well as when navigating the toughest non-conference schedules in college basketball.
“I thought it was a good game and a good experience in a match-up against a great player,” McCulloch said afterward. “Flory is a great guy, and it is tough and fun to match-up against him. I enjoy it every time.”
Throughout the weekend at the Run-N-Slam, Bidunga was a dominant force for Indiana Elite, which went undefeated on its way to winning the Platinum Bracket Championship by two points over Ohio-based adidas 3SSB rival Midwest Basketball, which features another Michigan State recruiting target in Jonathon Powell. When, however, Bidunga was matched up against McCulloch, he had to work for everything he got. Of the 12 points Bidunga scored in the Platinum Bracket semifinal, only three came when when he was matched up against McCulloch.
“The key is forcing him to go to his right hand, and that was what I was trying to do,” said McColluch, who is ranked No. 98 overall, No. 10 at center, and No. 2 in Ohio in the Class of 2024 by On3. “He has a great first step. He gets off the ground fast, and he is long.”
Indiana Elite didn’t need to dominate inside to win this game. The top-ranked team on the adidas 3SSB circuit is also one of its best shooting ballclubs. Against Indy Heat, Indiana Elite knocked down 10 triples and shot better than 50 percent from three.
Indiana Elite’s hot shooting forced Indy Heat to abandon its gameplan of going inside to McColluch.
“It made it difficult to stay with the gameplan when they were shooting as well as they did,” Avery said. “With us missing three key guys this weekend, we knew it was going to be an uphill battle. Guys got tired and just ran out of gas against a really good team that passes the ball, shoots the ball well, and does the things it takes to win. They were full strength and we got their best.”
Bidunga found it far easier to operate when McCulloch was on the bench in foul trouble, and it was not a coincidence that Indiana Elite built up a big lead during the 10-minute stretch of the first half when McCulloch sat with two fouls.
Bidunga also played a strong defensive game. McCulloch found it difficult to operate inside against him. The Michigan State commitment missed three jump hook attempts in the paint when matched up against Bidunga, and he also turned the ball over on another attempted back-to-the basket move against the the No. 3 ranked player in the On3 Industry Rankings. Missing shots against one of the best rim protectors in the Class of 2024 is nothing to be ashamed of. The fact that McCulloch willingly fought for position in the post against a player as strong and as athletic as Bidunga is a credit to the Michigan State commitment with a well-established reputation as a face-up big man. McCulloch may have missed jump hooks, but he didn’t miss wildly or shrink in the face of physical contact.
McCulloch had more success fighting for and getting position in the paint against Bidunga than any other competitor Indiana Elite faced on its six-game march to the Run-N-Slam Championship in the games that SpartanMag watched. And on the other end of the floor, McCulloch played physical defense against the five-star center, showing enough strength to keep Bidunga from setting up under the rim and dunking at will. And when Bidunga did get deep position under the basket, McCulloch used his length well to contest shots.
McCulloch also matched Bidunga’s physicality on the glass.
“Jesse won the battle in terms of boxing out,” Avery said. “He was not going to allow Flory to get second-chance points. We lost the battle in terms of our guards rebounding. We are typically good with our guard rebounding. Not having all our guys hurt us rebounding.”
Although he got fewer rebounds than Bidunga, McCulloch gave everything he had physically when cutting out on the defensive glass. The problem for Indy Heat was that McCulloch’s teammates failed to take advantage of the dirty work he did to erase Bidunga.
“I had to box Flory out, that’s my job,” McCulloch said. “I am boxing Flory out to keep him off the glass, because he can jump out of the gym, but their two guard was crashing and getting a lot of offensive rebounds. That’s a great lesson, and something I am going to talk about because that’s how teams stay in the game with us.”
Nothing came easy for either Bidunga or McCulloch in the match-up, and that’s the way when two high level prospects face each other in an elimination game. Even though McCulloch didn’t get a lot going around the basket, he did manage to earn a couple of trips to the free-throw line on strong takes to the basket. He also showed off his face-up game with a pick-and-pop three in the second half as well as a face-up 15-footer.
Without a full crew at the Run-N-Slam, McCulloch got more post touches than he has at any other event to this point in the grassroots season.
“I thought it was amazing for Jesse,” Avery said. “It was good to be able to feed him for an entire weekend and for him to be able to touch the ball in the post in addition to some of the pick-and-pops situations.”
The next step for McCulloch will be for him to demand the ball either on the block or in pick-and-pops scenarios.
“That is one thing that I am trying to work on,” McCulloch said. “I got more touches this weekend than I have in any of the EYBL sessions. That felt good, and my confidence is up. It’s tough to demand the ball because I don’t have an ego. I am going to do whatever it takes to win.”
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