Michigan basketball hasn’t exactly had things go its way of late.
Whether it’s on the hardwood with a disappointing 2022-23 season which resulted in an NIT berth and quick ouster instead of an NCAA Tournament run, to recruiting — both in the 2023 class and the transfer portal this offseason — it’s been a tough road lately for head coach Juwan Howard. However, the maize and blue are in the thick of a recruitment for an elite player at a position of need.
On Tuesday, On3 basketball recruiting insider Joe Tipton reported that 2024 Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI Catholic four-star center Patrick Ngongba has released his top eight schools, and Michigan basketball made the cut.
NEWS: Patrick Ngongba, the No. 26 overall prospect in the 2024 class, is down to eight schools, he tells me.
The 6-11 center is one of the fastest-rising players in the country.
Story: https://t.co/cnJ7wMLUCl pic.twitter.com/clV1ktS8RE
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) July 11, 2023
Rated the No. 26 player in the country per the 247Sports Composite, the Wolverines certainly have some steep competition. Also making the cut were Kansas State, UConn, Indiana, Providence, Kansas, Duke, and Kentucky — a veritable who’s who in the college basketball world.
Still, given how Michigan uses its center position, there’s arguably few places that can work and develop a player of Ngongba’s caliber better than the staff in Ann Arbor. We’ll continue to monitor his recruitment.
Ngongba is the third-best center in the 2024 recruiting cycle.
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