NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Pros and cons of 5-star C Patrick Ngongba top options

Duke Blue Devils

Pros

With Bidunga now out at Kansas, Duke is still in need of a center for the following year. Senior Ryan Young will be without eligibility going forward, while sophomore Christian Reeves has struggled to get meaningful playing time. For a perennial top-10 program, it’s an opportunity for Ngongba to come in and likely start as a freshman.

If we assume that the team lands No. 1 overall prospect Cooper Flagg, Ngongba would be under the national spotlight and play in front of all of the scouts. And with two five-star wings (Kon Knueppel and Isaiah Evans) already in the 2024 class, it’s hard to argue that they wouldn’t be the preseason No. 1 team for the 2024-25 campaign.

Cons

There are some issues with Flagg’s potential arrival that would affect Ngongba in a negative way. Flagg would easily be the focal point of the offense, with the variety of different five-star perimeter players also having large roles. That would leave this big man with next to no role offensively, being just the rim-protector and rebounder on the team.

That did work for Dereck Lively, who ended up as a first-round pick in the past NBA Draft. But for a more raw prospect like Ngongba, that could stunt his development. And the same could occur if the team lands five-star brothers and son of former Blue Devil star forward Carlos Boozer, Cameron and Cayden. That’s something to consider for this target, though the pros certainly outweigh the cons.