Tag: Patrick Ngongba II

Duke basketball freshman Pat Ngongba II out indefinitely with foot injury

Patrick Ngongba II, one of six freshmen on the Duke men’s basketball team, will miss an unspecified amount of time with a foot injury.

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.

Duke basketball reportedly reaches out to 2026 Paul VI star

After landing two commitments from Paul VI in the 2024 recruiting class, Jon Scheyer is reportedly talking to a 2026 star from the school.

Duke basketball might pursue yet another basketball star from Paul VI Catholic High School in Virginia.

According to a Saturday report from Colby Giacubeno, the Blue Devils reached out to Jordan Smith Jr. from the Class of 2026.

Smith, a shooting guard, is a five-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite Ranking. One of the top 15 players in his year, the 6-foot-3 guard is the third-ranked player at his position in the class.

Duke coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] already has roots at Paul VI in just a few short years. Duke’s vaunted 2024 recruiting class features two of Smith’s former teammates, center [autotag]Patrick Ngongba II[/autotag] and guard [autotag]Darren Harris[/autotag].

The trio helped lead Paul VI to the national final against Montverde Academy (the school of [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], another Duke signee and the top-ranked player in the country).

Smith also told Giacubeno he’d heard from schools like Georgetown, Louisville, Miami, Michigan State, Old Dominion, and Syracuse since the recruiting window opened up.

Scheyer has his eyes on the future with the news coming days after Duke offered Shelton Henderson from the Class of 2025.

Team USA Basketball shares first look at Duke signee Patrick Ngongba II on U18 team

One of Duke’s vaunted 2024 recruits made the USA Basketball U18 Team, and the squad shared photos of him in uniform on Friday.

Duke basketball fans got to see [autotag]Patrick Ngongba II[/autotag] repping Team USA through social media on Friday.

Ngongba, one of six signees in Duke’s 2024 recruiting class, made the Team USA U18 Team earlier in the week. The USA Basketball Junior National Team account introduced the team in a social media thread, sharing photos of each player with their country proud across their chest.

Ngognba will wear No. 11 for the team.

The 6-foot-11 center attended Paul VI Catholic alongside fellow future Blue Devil Darren Harris. The duo led their school to the championship game at Chipotle Nationals earlier this year. They fell short against Montverde Academy, the school of No. 1 prospect and future Duke class member [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag].

According to 247Sports final class rankings, Ngongba is the 19th-best player in the upcoming freshman class and the fifth-best center.

He was the only member of Duke’s incoming roster to attend tryouts for the U18 Team, although coach Jon Scheyer joined Team USA as a court coach during the scouting process.

Ngongba, the 6-foot-9 Flagg, and 7-footer Khaman Maluach will help make Duke one of the nation’s tallest and most formidable teams in 2024.

Incoming Duke freshman Patrick Ngongba named to USA Basketball U18 team

USA Basketball announced its 12-man U18 team on Tuesday, and Duke fans will notice a familiar name.

USA Basketball announced its 12-man roster for the U18 men’s basketball team on Tuesday, and incoming Duke freshman Patrick Ngongba II made the final cut.

The 6-foot-11 Paul VI product is one of the six members of Duke’s vaunted 2024 recruiting class. Every signee is within the top 50 of 247Sports’ Recruiting Rankings, led by consensus top prospect Cooper Flagg.

Ngongba, for his part, is the site’s 19th-ranked overall prospect and the fifth-highest center in the class.

Ngongba and fellow signee Darren Harris played together in high school, helping lead Paul VI to the national championship game at Chipotle Nationals, losing only to Flagg’s Montverde Academy.

Ngongba, Flagg, and South Sudanese 7-footer Khaman Maluach will help form of the nation’s tallest and most formidable backcourts for the 2024-25 season.

Ngongba was the only Blue Devil to work out for the team, although Duke head coach Jon Scheyer joined him as a court coach during the evaluation process.

Cameron Crazies who love the recruiting trail will also notice Nate Ament, a potential name to watch in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

Duke basketball signee Patrick Ngongba II named a finalist for USA Basketball U18 team

Patrick Ngongba II, one of six top-50 recruits in Duke’s 2024 recruiting class, is one of 18 candidates for the 12-man USA Basketball U18 roster.

The USA Basketball U18 team released its 18 finalists on Saturday, and Duke signee Patrick Ngongba II made the cut.

Ngongba is one of six members of the 2024 Duke recruiting class, one of the most esteemed freshman groups in class history. Every signee sits inside the top 50 of the national rankings, including the 6-foot-11 Ngongba.

The Paul VI product is the 19th-ranked player and the fifth-ranked center on 247Sports Class of 2024 rankings. He was the only incoming Duke freshman to attend the camp.

The final U18 roster will consist of 12 players, and Ngongba will need to wait until next week to know if he makes the final cut. He might have an upper hand, however, as Duke coach Jon Scheyer is working with the U18 squad as a court coach.

A handful of 2025 recruiting targets like Caleb Wilson and Nate Ament also grabbed a spot as finalists if any overeager Duke fans want to keep an eye on the future.

Duke commits Cooper Flagg, Darren Harris, and Patrick Ngongba to battle in Chipotle Nationals finals

Duke five-star signee Cooper Flagg leads Montverde Academy against Paul VI and future teammates Darren Harris and Patrick Ngongba in Saturday’s title game at Chipotle Nationals.

The Chipotle Nationals boys title game on Saturday will feature a trio of Duke signees from the esteemed 2024 recruiting class.

Darren Harris and Paul Ngongba led Paul VI Catholic to a 58-44 semifinal win over Link Academy earlier in the day on Friday.

Harris, one day removed from his 36-point game against IMG Academy, finished with 20 points after he buried a trio of 3-pointers. He tacked on four rebounds and two assists to his stat line. Ngongba only took two shots, but he held his own on the glass with seven rebounds in just 17 minutes.

In Friday’s later game, Cooper Flagg, the top overall recruit in the nation, led top-seeded Montverde Academy to an 84-70 victory over Columbus. Flagg finished with 28 points, six rebounds, and three assists in the victory after he made three of his four 3-point attempts.

Cameron Boozer, the son of Duke legend Carlos Boozer and the No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2025, added a game-high 29 points for Columbus on the other end. Boozer also gathered seven rebounds, and he finished the game 10/24 from the floor.

His twin brother, fellow five-star prospect Cayden Boozer, added four points and five rebounds.

Saturday’s title game will start at noon and can be watched on ESPN2.

Blue Devils land projected 2025 lottery pick Khaman Maluach

Duke lands massive prospect as 2025 center Khaman Maluach has committed to Duke.

Ahead of their biggest game of the season against their rivals with a chance to take home a share of the ACC regular season title, the Duke Blue Devils just received a significant boost to their 2024-2025 season.

Projected lottery pick and soon-to-be five-star on every primary recruiting website Khaman Maluach announced his commitment to Duke Wednesday afternoon.

Maluach is a massive commitment, figuratively and literally. He stands 7-foot-2 and will slot into the center spot soon to be vacated by Kyle Filipowski at year’s end. He brings rim protection, which the Blue Devils have missed the most defensively this season after losing Dereck Lively to the NBA.

However, he’s a much more refined offensive product who can handle the ball, shoot and facilitate for others. Combine that with the athleticism and lateral quickness to guard on the perimeter, and you have something special.

In short, there’s a reason he’s projected as the third overall prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft behind his soon-to-be teammate Cooper Flagg.

Maluach has been on Duke’s radar for a year, and as they methodically built a relationship with him from Durham all the way to Africa, where he hails from. Duke has remained a constant despite visits to Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, and advances from G League Ignite.

“Duke is home, that’s where I belong.” Maluach said in a conversation with ESPN. “This was the hardest decision I’ve ever made. I felt like I could succeed anywhere, but I was most comfortable going to Duke. All the schools recruiting me are big-time programs, but in terms of my development and the relationships I built with the coaches, they were the best.”

Maluach has an impressive basketball resume already. This summer, at 16 years old, he helped his native country of South Sudan qualify for the Paris Olympics as one of the youngest players in FIBA World Cup History.

He plays at the NBA Academy Africa and will headline the World team at the Nike Hoop Summit next month, where he will take on his future teammates Cooper Flagg, Isaiah Evans, and Patrick Ngongba II.

Travis Branham of 247Sports has crystal balled Khaman Malauch to Duke

Duke has its third prediction for the Blue Devils to land projected lottery pick Khaman Maluach.

Things are heating up in the Duke Blue Devils’ pursuit of what would likely be the final piece of their already historic 2024 recruiting class.

Khaman Maluach, a 7-foot-2 center from South Sudan, is nearing a decision and announcement about where he will play basketball next year.

Maluach is not ranked on 247’s website due to a policy they have on international recruits, but the moment he announces he plans to attend college in the USA, he will be added to the rankings and is a lock to be a five-star prospect. His talent speaks for itself, as he is already being mocked as a top-five pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Maluach has narrowed his decision to five options: Duke, G League Ignite, Kansas, Kentucky, and UCLA. Duke was his first visit before eventually visiting the other blue bloods listed. Still, despite his visits and conversations with the G League Ignite representatives, Duke has remained a constant. So much so that one of 247 Sports’ best basketball recruiting insiders has logged a crystal ball in favor of Duke landing the incredibly gifted prospect.

If said prediction comes to fruition, Duke could potentially have its best recruiting class of all time, shattering some of their other incredible hauls over the last ten years. Cooper Flagg is already in the boat and is the nation’s No. 1 player.

It doesn’t seem like hyperbole to think that if Maluach decides to play basketball for a year in college, he’ll be a top-five recruit. Add that to five-star Isaiah Evans and Kon Knueppel and four-star high school teammates Patrick Ngongba II and Darren Harris, and it’s hard to imagine a better haul in recent high school recruiting memory. The Blue Devils would have five players within the top 20 of 247’s rankings.

An announcement is expected before the end of March. Whether or not Duke lands Maluach is still to be decided, but the momentum favors Duke as we enter the waning hours of this recruitment.