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Top Threat to Duke Basketball for Patrick Ngongba II
Judging by Paul VI Catholic (Va.) five-star Patrick Ngongba II's senior-year official visits, the Duke basketball coaches are up against Kentucky, Kansas State, Michigan, and UConn for the 6-foot-11, 235-pound agile center. But he hasn't trimmed the list of eight contenders he named in July, including Kansas, Indiana, and Providence.
Duke may hold an advantage or two.
Second-year Blue Devil head coach Jon Scheyer and his crew hosted Ngongba, No. 25 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite, for an official visit in June. They'll do so again Oct. 20-22, coinciding with Countdown to Craziness and visits from at least two more five-star 2024 Duke basketball targets in Cooper Flagg and VJ Edgecombe.
Then there's the pipeline to Durham from Paul VI Catholic, which produced recent Blue Devil one-and-done Trevor Keels, current Duke senior Jeremy Roach, and one of Scheyer's first of now-three 2024 pledges in Ngongba's teammate, Darren Harris.
However, when asked recently if Kansas State might be the last suitor standing, renowned incognito recruiting insider "Trilly Donovan" noted that Wildcats head coach Jerome Tang, whose staff has deep ties to Ngongba's family, has "got the last visit, which is significant."
Then, despite a report of Ngongba scheduling a return official visit to UConn for the weekend before his trip to Duke and two weeks before his trip to Kansas State, 247Sports' Travis Branham summarized the recruitment as a three-team race, with no mention of the Huskies in that bunch, and pointed out that a decision may soon follow his visits:
"Ngongba seems to be on pace for an early signing period commitment. As of today, there seems to be a big three battling for his talents in Duke, Kansas State, and Kentucky."
While the 247Sports Crystal Ball for the versatile giant remains empty, there is growing chatter that Kansas State may be the frontrunner.
That said, Patrick Ngongba II feels like a top priority for Scheyer. After all, he's the only undecided 2024 big man who has reported an offer from the Blue Devils, and all three of their pledges thus far are wings. And Duke basketball likely loses Kyle Filipowski, along with graduate center Ryan Young, in the spring.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball recruiting news.