The Duke Blue Devils just announced that sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II would return for his third season with the program, adding yet another beloved player to the list of those coming back next year.
Ngongba joined the likes of guard Cayden Boozer, who had announced his return earlier this offseason, and the news was exactly what Duke fans had been looking for.
— Jon Scheyer believer (@coachKburner101) April 20, 2026
Patrick Ngongba is BACK
— hughstraine (@HughStraine) April 20, 2026
During his sophomore season, Ngongba averaged 10.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game, becoming a centerpiece of the Blue Devils' performances on both ends of the court.
Patrick Ngongba II has announced he will return to Duke for his junior year‼️😈
— Duke.MBB (@DukeBlueMBB) April 20, 2026
While he missed some time due to an ankle injury, becoming well known as one of the two Blue Devils to ride around the NCAA Tournament on a knee scooter (alongside junior guard Caleb Foster), he was still a critical part of why Duke made it as deep in the Big Dance as it did.
Huge news for Duke. The NBA is still awaiting decisions for at least nine other potential first round picks after Patrick Ngongba and Braylon Mullins both decided to return to college. https://t.co/hmLqm3pvHa
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) April 20, 2026
Ngongba wasn't expected to be one of the hottest commodities at this year's NBA Draft, likely falling to a late first-round or early second-round pick. However, he was still receiving a lot of attention as the offseason progressed.
Wow! Huge news with Patrick Ngongba returning to Duke for his junior season. Given the state of NIL, I can’t say I’m surprised, but for the level of hype from Draft Twitter, pretty notable.
— Dizzle Dynasty (@DizzleDynasty) April 20, 2026
He’ll likely start as a lottery pick on my early 27 boards in such a weak big class. https://t.co/AHCRPg3spp
Of course, the announcement that everyone is still waiting for is whether Cameron Boozer will declare for the NBA Draft or not; the Player of the Year has remained relatively quiet since Duke's postseason run was cut short in the Elite Eight.
Huge news for Duke!!
— Chanel Porter (@chanelcporter) April 20, 2026
Pat Ngongba joins Cayden Boozer in returning to Durham next season. https://t.co/iG3UzePS6D
Beyond the returns of at least one Boozer and Ngongba, head coach Jon Scheyer is also waiting for his No. 1 recruiting class of 2026 to join the Blue Devils in Durham, and Duke is far from done recruiting stars from the transfer portal.
Duke getting Pat Ngongba back may be the biggest (literal and figurative) move the team makes all offseason, given his potential and the larger center market.
— Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) April 20, 2026
Gives Duke a go-to interior scorer and defensive centerpiece — not to mention a junior, multi-year starter. Huge news.
Drew Scharnowski, a four-star transfer power forward from Belmont, was Scheyer's first transfer portal addition of the offseason. Up next, he's still working to land a commitment from former Wisconsin star John Blackwell.
The return of Ngongba is huge, but it's just one piece of the puzzle. However, this team is looking more and more primed to make yet another deep run next season.
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