Tag: Patrick Ngongba II

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.