The Duke basketball program is poised to chase another Final Four in 2025-26, and it has the talent to do so. However, no one is talking about sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II. Head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff brought in the No. 1 overall 2025 recruiting class, headlined by Cameron Boozer, along with a crew of elite returners. The most popular breakout pick from the Duke program has been sharpshooter Isaiah Evans, who's in line for a highly elevated role. With his elite outside shooting ability and length defensively, he has the potential to be one of the best all-around wings the nation has to offer. But no one's giving Ngongba any praise, and that might change sooner rather than later.
Patrick Ngongba now emerging as serious breakout candidate for Duke basketball
Ngongba enters his sophomore season with the Blue Devils expected to be the starting center. He dealt with foot injuries for the majority of his senior high school season at Paul VI Catholic (VA) and for much of his freshman campaign in Durham, limiting his ability to play. Now, he looks healthy and has completely transformed his body.
As a rookie, Ngongba appeared in 30 games, averaging 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds a night in 10.6 minutes of action. He came into Durham along with 7'2" unicorn Khaman Maluach, so his playing time was fairly limited due to injuries. As a sophomore, he takes the reins of the frontcourt and will be a massive piece on both sides of the ball for the Blue Devils.
At Countdown to Craziness last week, Ngongba looked like a brand new player. His footwork looked vastly improved, he was quicker, and he looked much more versatile on the offensive side of the ball. Last season, he established himself as a great rim protector with a limited offensive game at 6'11". However, he showed up at the program's preseason hype event, demonstrating that he is a new player and could be one of the more dominant offensive bigs in the ACC.
Ngongba now looks fully healthy and ready to take charge for this Duke frontcourt in 2025-26.