Jon Scheyer has announced that one of Duke’s incoming freshmen is currently unavailable. On Friday, he provided an update on Patrick Ngongba, stating that he is “out for the time being” as the Blue Devils prepare for their upcoming season.
Ngongba is part of Duke’s 2024 freshman class, which includes six members: Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach, Isaiah Evans, Kon Knueppel, and Darren Harris. This class has been ranked as the top overall group by On3’s 2024 Industry Basketball Team Recruiting Rankings. All six players are in the Top 40 prospects, with Ngongba being the fifth-highest ranked. Hailing from Manassas, Virginia, Ngongba played high school basketball at Paul VI Catholic, where he had a teammate in Harris who will also join him at the collegiate level. He was recognized as a four-star prospect and ranked No. 38 overall in the previous recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, which aggregates data from the four major recruiting media outlets. Ngongba is also ranked as the No. 5 center and the second-best player in his state.
Ngongba has spent much of the past year on the sidelines after missing his entire senior season with the Panthers due to an injury. This situation arises just before the Blue Devils’ preseason events begin in the next month. Countdown to Craziness is scheduled for next week at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke will also host two exhibition games, one against Lincoln on October 19th and a charity game called the Brotherhood Run against Arizona State on October 27th, featuring their former alumni Bobby Hurley as the opposing coach. These events will take place before the official season opener in Durham on November 4th against Maine.
This allows Ngongba about a month to recover before the season starts. However, he is currently sidelined as the tipoff approaches for Duke. Duke will host Arizona State, coached by Bobby Hurley, for a charity exhibition game on October 27th, with proceeds going to Duke Children’s Hospital.
Both head coaches in this matchup are former players who played key roles in securing national championships for their teams. “We’re thrilled about the Brotherhood Run and the opportunity to play Arizona State in a charity exhibition game. This is our first experience doing something like this,” Scheyer stated. “Duke Children’s Hospital has been a fantastic partner for our program for many years, dating back to Coach K. Maintaining that relationship is very important to me and our program. We’re truly excited to collaborate with them to raise funds and awareness for the amazing work they’re doing.
“I appreciate John Scheyer and Duke Basketball for partnering with Arizona State Basketball to bring this exhibition game to life,” Hurley expressed. “Returning to Cameron Indoor will be a special experience for me. Our team is eager to face a historic basketball program before starting our regular season. The collaboration between Duke and Arizona State to organize this charity exhibition game in support of Duke Children’s Hospital is significant for both programs.”
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