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

Kansas State Wildcats

Pros

Coach Jerome Tang was highly successful in his first year at Kansas State, taking them from a projected bottom team in the Big 12 all the way to the Elite 8. And his development with several players was notable, including frontcourt players, Keyontae Johnson and Nae’Qwan Tomlin.

The center position for the Wildcats is made up of Mississippi State transfer Will McNair Jr., along with Jerrell Colbert. There’s no question that Ngongba would easily start here and compared to Duke, have a massive role on the team since the rest of the roster isn’t as talented.

Cons

It’s not fair to Coach Tang but right now, he has the least amount of experience among the head coaches on this list, mainly as a developer of talent. He’s yet to have a five-star prospect join him, even after targeting quite a few so far in the 2024 and 2025 classes. It’s not a guarantee that he’ll work out long-term.

And as for the team, they lost their two best players this offseason so it’s also not a guarantee that the Wildcats remain in the top-tier of the Big 12. And with Houston and other programs coming in, the program could slide back a bit. Unless there’s a better supporting cast, Ngongba could be negatively affected.