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

By Tristan Freeman

Mar 19, 2023; Albany, NY, USA; UConn Huskies forward Adama Sanogo (21) reacts after a play against the St. Mary's Gaels during the first half at MVP Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2023; Albany, NY, USA; UConn Huskies forward Adama Sanogo (21) reacts after a play against the St. Mary's Gaels during the first half at MVP Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball
NCAA Basketball Michigan Wolverines forward Tarris Reed Jr. Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports /

Michigan Wolverines

Pros

Although losing star big man Hunter Dickinson to the transfer portal this offseason hurts Michigan for the upcoming year, it does make things easier for the team to sell playing time to centers in the 2024 class, since Dickinson did have an extra year of eligibility. The team does have former top-50 prospect Tarris Reed but he’s unproven in extended minutes.

With Tennessee transfer Olivier Nkamhoua leaving after this season, the Wolverines could offer Ngongba around 15-20 mpg out the gate as a freshman behind Reed, who showed to have a foul issue. And head coach Juwan Howard, a former veteran big man in the NBA, is a good candidate to develop this prospect into a future pro, as he did with a past five-star prospect, Moussa Diabate.

Cons

There are a couple of factors that could change how viable Michigan is what happens with both Reed, as well as international freshman big man, Lee Aaliya. If both are impactful enough to get extended minutes, the team may not need another big man in the 2024-25 rotation.

More importantly, Michigan doesn’t even have its head coach, Juwan Howard. He underwent heart surgery recently and may not be back for the start of the season. And even before that, there’s been murmurs that Coach Howard may not be the leader of the program if they don’t get back to the NCAA Tournament. Of all the coaches, he’s the most likely to not be around after the season.

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