NCAA Basketball: Analyzing 8 finalists for top-30 center Patrick Ngongba II

HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 03: A NCAA basketball on the floor during the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four championship game between the Connecticut Huskies and the San Diego State Aztecs at NRG Stadium on April 03, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

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NCAA Basketball Nae’Qwan Tomlin #35 of the Kansas State Wildcats Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /

Kansas Jayhawks

The Jayhawks lost two former top-40 centers this offseason in Ernest Udeh Jr. and Zuby Ejiofor but did add Santa Clara transfer, Parker Braun. They also have Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson on board as well and he could stay either 1-2 more NCAA Basketball.

For a prospect like Ngongba that may not be ready to contribute big minutes out of the gate, Kansas would be a risky option. There are just as many freshmen stars that ended up in the NBA like Gradey Dick as there are others that had to transfer out like Udeh and Ejiofor. It’ll come down to the likelihood of getting minutes and staking his claim to a rotation spot.

Kansas State Wildcats

Coach Jerome Tang landed a star forward transfer this offseason in Arthur Kaluma from Creighton to pair with returning starting center, Nae’Qwan Tomlin. He’s back for one more year and former LSU big man Jerrell Colbert is also on the roster, but he’s yet to get extended minutes on the court.

After a huge first year with the program, Coach Tang is looking to translate it into a big future recruiting class. They landed four-star point guard David Castillo in the 2024 class but center is the biggest need. This would easily be the safest option for Ngongba when it comes to minutes and he’d very likely start as a freshman here.

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