It's NBA Draft week, and this past wave of Duke basketball rookies, Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach, and Kon Knueppel, are getting set to hear their names called in the lottery on Wednesday night. For the other two starters from the 2024-25 season, Tyrese Proctor and Sion James, both are expected to be drafted on Thursday night during round two.
While that's going on, the current program and the future of the Duke basketball program have been in action over the last few days.
Here's the latest round-up of Duke Blue Devils news.
Duke basketball to host multi-team "Brotherhood" event
The Duke men's basketball program will host a three-team event from November 21st-23rd at Cameron Indoor Stadium, along with Niagara and Howard. The event is meant as a homecoming for former Duke players Greg Paulus and Kenny Blakeney, who each serve as the head coaches at Niagara and Howard, respectively. The Blue Devils will face off against Niagara on November 21st and are set to play Howard on November 23rd. The Purple Eagles and the Bison will match up against one another on November 22nd. Paulus played four seasons with the Blue Devils from 2005-2009, earning a full-time starting role for three of those seasons. He averaged 8.4 points and 3.6 assists through his career on 41.5% shooting from the field and 39.8% shooting from three-point range. Paulus was an ACC All-Freshman selection and earned All-ACC honors in the 2007-08 season. Blakeney also spent his four collegiate seasons with the Blue Devils from 1991-95, winning a national championship with Duke in the 1991-92 season. The guard appeared in 93 games and started 11 throughout his career with the program, averaging 3.2 points and 1.3 rebounds on 45.9% shooting from the floor.
Scheyer seals visit with elite 2026 recruit
Austin Goosby, a top-35 prospect in the 247Sports Class of 2026 Composite Rankings, has scheduled an official visit to Duke from October 2nd-4th, per 247Sports insider Brandon Jenkins. Goosby has also scheduled official visits to SMU, UCLA, BYU, Baylor, and Texas. The Melissa High School (TX) product is expected to schedule an official visit to Arizona State as well. Goosby, the No. 35 overall player, No. 6 combo guard, and No. 3 player out of Texas in the 247Sports Composite, has already reeled in over a dozen offers and several from power conference programs. Duke has yet to seal a commitment from a prospect in the class of 2026, but Jon Scheyer is looking to build the No. 1 overall recruiting class in the nation for the third consecutive year.
Patrick Ngongba seen in walking boot at practice
Duke basketball rising sophomore and projected starter, Pat Ngongba II, was seen in a walking boot at practice via a social media post. This is very worrisome for Duke fans, as the 6'11 center has been dealing with a foot injury for over a year. Ngongba missed almost all of his senior season at Paul VI Catholic (VA) and a large chunk of his freshman year at Duke, dealing with the damage. The severity of the injury hasn't been released, but given the much larger role Ngongba is expected to play as a sophomore with the Blue Devils, preseason shake-ups aren't ideal for Scheyer and his staff. Ngongba showed flashes of being an effective roller on offense with a great ability to defend the rim, but his offensive arsenal as a whole certainly needs work throughout the offseason. Hopefully, his current foot issue is minor and he can get back on the court sooner rather than later.