The Duke basketball program landed in the Top-8 finalists for Patrick Ngongba II.
Things are starting to heat up on the recruiting front for the Duke basketball program following Nike’s EYBL Peach Jam.
The Blue Devils landed the Top-8 finalists for 4-star center Patrick Ngongba II after he divulged his list to joe Tipton of On3.
Ngongba also included UConn, Kansas State, Indiana, Providence, Kansas, Kentucky, and Michigan in his list.
The 6-foot-11 forward has taken official visits to Kansas State, UConn, Providence and Duke with the trips to Durham and Connecticut being the most recent on June 10 and 12, respectively.
NEWS: Patrick Ngongba, the No. 26 overall prospect in the 2024 class, is down to eight schools, he tells me.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) July 11, 2023
The 6-11 center is one of the fastest-rising players in the country.
Story: https://t.co/cnJ7wMLUCl pic.twitter.com/clV1ktS8RE
Tipton explained that the rising center will take at least one more visit before he comes to a decision.
A budding star at Paul VI (Va.), Duke has already experienced success in recruiting players from the highly respected program in the DMV like Jeremy Roach and Trevor Keels, as Jon Scheyer has already landed a commitment from Ngongba’s teammate, 2024 guard Darren Harris.
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Harris was recently named as the Most Valuable Player of the Peach Jam and Patrick Ngongba also performed well for Team Takeover after averaging 10.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game in seven contests.
Ngongba also shot 78.3-percent from the floor and 60.0-percent from 3-point territory, albeit in only five attempts.
Duke basketball eyeing massive recruiting class in 2024
In addition to Darren Harris, Duke also has a commitment in the Class of 2024 from 5-star forward Isaiah Evans and remains steadfast in brining in a massive haul of prospects next summer.
Patrick Ngongba II is ranked as the No. 26 player in the Class of 2024, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, as well as the No. 3 center and top player in the state of Virginia.
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Duke also has extended an offer to Flory Bidunga, the top ranked center in 2024 and the No. 4 overall recruit.
Bidunga visited campus shortly after Ngongba on June 20 but has not announced a group of finalists.
Patrick Ngongba told Tipton that he does not have a formal date to announce his decision but he should be “before the early signing period in November.”