The Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball team gets its season underway in the coming weeks, but head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] and his squad will be without one member of their loaded freshman class.
[autotag]Patrick Ngongba II[/autotag], a 6-foot-11 forward from St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Virginia, will be out indefinitely with a foot injury. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein was among the first to report the news on Friday.
Fans noticed Ngongba wearing a walking boot in some recent practice footage shared on social media, so the news shouldn’t come as a complete shock. During the team’s on-campus media day on Friday, Scheyer said the injury didn’t happen in Durham, but rather that Ngongba has dealt with the foot since high school.
247Sports graded Ngongba as the No. 21 overall player in his class, the fifth-highest-ranked Duke basketball commit of the cycle. His high school teammate, fellow four-star Darren Harris, also joined the Blue Devils.
Jon Scheyer says Patrick Ngongba II isn't 100%.
Nothing has happened since he's been at Duke; it's just lingering foot injuries from high school. They're trying to get him to a place that he can move pain-free.
— Conor O'Neill (@ConorONeill_DI) September 27, 2024