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

UConn Huskies

Pros

After last season, Coach Dan Hurley gets to have the claim of being a quality frontcourt developer. Adama Sanogo was a star big man who is now in the NBA, while sophomore Donovan Clingan is a projected lottery pick in the 2024 draft and a consensus NCAA Basketball breakout candidate. Assuming he’s gone, the Huskies will need another big man, as they’d only have the currently unproven Youssouf Singare on the roster.

Ngongba would likely be the new starting center (unless Singare shows something behind Clingan) and considering how good UConn’s recruiting has gotten, the team is going to remain very good for the future, while still offering a good role to the five-star prospect.

Cons

For now, this piece will operate under the assumption that Cooper Flagg does indeed pick Duke over UConn, his reported two finalists. But Flagg coming here could actually force Ngongba to the bench, as it’s hard to see how forward Alex Karaban isn’t the starting power forward in that scenario.

And is there a possibility that last season was a “one hit wonder”? The frontcourt play before the last couple of years haven’t been great and Sanogo/Clingan could’ve been exceptions. Yet compared to the other head coaches, that’s not as big of a risk outside of Calipari.