The Duke commit has undergone foot surgery that will keep him out an indefinite amount of time
Five star center and future Blue Devil Patrick Ngongba II has undergone surgery which has sidelined him for an undetermined amount of time.
According to a report from Adam Zagoria, the 6-foot-11, 240 pound prospect from Fairfax (VA) Paul VI Catholic High School underwent an operation in November on his foot. The news was confirmed by Paul VI head coach Glenn Farello.
“Pat is recovering from foot surgery and is out indefinitely,” Farello told Zagoria. “We don’t know yet [when he will be available to return]. It’s too early to tell.”
Losing Ngongba is certainly a blow for the Panthers as he provides an elite post component to the team’s roster and approach. Rated as the nation’s No.22 overall prospect and the No.5 center in the class of 2024 according to the industry generated 247Sports.com Composite rankings, Ngongba is a high upside prospect who should make an immediate impact at the college level according to 247’s Director of Scouting, Adam Finkelstein.
“Ngongba has a tremendous combination of size, length, and offensive skill,” wrote Finkelstein in his July evaluation. “He stands just shy of 7-feet with ultra-broad shoulders and a big frame that gives him a significant presence on both ends of the floor. He has extremely soft hands and touch, equally impressive footwork, and a high release point around the paint. He provides a true low-post scorer, but is also an inside-out threat with developing shooting range out to the arc. He’s a good passer who is starting to punish double-teams, facilitate from different spots on the floor, and even deliver balls with both hands. He has versatility playing out of ball-screen actions and can also be effective operating in dribble-hand-offs.”
“Overall, Ngongba is an exceptionally efficient offensive player (70% FG in the EYBL regular season), but one who is showing more signs of being able to anchor a half-court offense down the road. Durability and mobility are the key variables for him moving forward. He missed time with injuries early in his high school career and was not an especially fluid mover when he returned. While he’s made great strides since, he still projects as a drop coverage big man at the next level, without much defensive versatility. His physical presence in the lane gives him some value as a rim protector (1.3 blocks per game), although he still often has to shuffle his feet before elevating, while his length and hands allow him to own his area on the glass (7.8 rebounds in 19.3 minutes).”
“Finally, Ngongba has shown a rapid rate of improvement since getting healthy, which could be a key variable to projecting his long-term upside.”
Ngongba plays alongside Darren Harris, another future Duke player, for Paul VI. Harris has led the Panthers to a 6-0 start on the season including the team’s most recent win, an 80-61 decision over Arizona’s Millennium High School at the City of Palms event in Florida. In that game the future Blue Devil sharp shooter recorded 17 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 23 minutes of action.
The two Paul VI players represent two members of what is current a five man recruiting haul for Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils. Harris and Ngongba join the nation’s top overall prospect, power forward Cooper Flagg and five star wings Kon Knueppel and Isaiah Evans in what is universally considered to be the best class in the country.
Duke continues to recruit in 2024 as well, targeting five star wing VJ Edgecombe and five star big man Khaman Maluach.
Leave a Reply