Top-40 Patrick Ngongba talks Duke, UConn, Providence, Kansas State officials; updates possible future visits
Patrick Ngongba jumped to No. 36 in the recent 2024 On3 150 update. The 6-foot-10 center at Fairfax (VA) Paul VI finished Nike’s EYBL Season top ten in the league in rebounds (7.8) while averaging 12.7 points and 1.2 blocks on 70.3 percent shooting from the field.
“My decision-making is the biggest difference in my game since the start of the AAU season,” Ngongba told On3. “My play-making and getting teammates involved, I would say. I’m able to start the break more, taking a few dribbles and getting us out on the run. I watch a lot of Nikola Jokic, the way he is able to rebound, push the ball, and find his teammates to make plays.”
On3 caught up with four-star Patrick Ngongba after a recent live viewing to get the latest updates on his recruitment.
Ngongba talks visits
“I’ve taken official visits to Kansas State, UConn, Duke, and Providence so far,” Ngongba said. “I don’t have any others set at the moment.”
Duke: “It was a good visit. The coaches were all very energetic from the start of the visit to the time e they dropped me back off at the airport. It was a good vibe the whole time. We went to hang out with the coaches, and the staff got to know them. It was a good time. Seeing the strength stuff really stood out to me. All that they do for their players behind the scenes, the stuff we don’t really see, stood out.”
Providence: “I knew Coach (Kim) English when he was at George Mason. It was nice getting up to Providence. It was way different than I expected; I didn’t know what to expect really. The facilities and stuff like that were really nice. I feel like I would fit in well with what he does and how they play. They’ve shown me a lot of the stuff they do with Josh (Oduro), and I feel like I can do a lot of that.”
UConn: “I liked how involved with the practices the coaches are with the bigs. They had two coaches down there involved, guarding the players and taking them through the workouts. With Adama (Sanogo) and (Donovan) Clingan, seeing the centers that they’ve had recently plays a big role for me. Seeing what they can do for me individually helps with my decision a lot.”
Kansas State: “I’ve known Coach Jareem (Dowling) since I was a little kid, and Coach (Jerome) Tang is also from the island my mom is from. So I have a pretty good relationship with them. On my visit, I was able to see how much the fans love the team. And we went over to the coach’s house and were able to play games, like ping pong, and I got a feel of what the bond was like there. I see them on the sidelines of every game I play; that definitely plays a factor.”
Ngongba talks recruitment
“I’m talking with Iowa, Virginia, and Indiana about possibly setting up a visit,” Ngongba said.
Iowa: “Coach (Fran) McCaffery came by my schools twice this year, and he came just to talk with me. That showed me how interested they were in me and recruiting me. I don’t know much about their school, I know what Luka (Garza) did there. But the relationships I have with the coaches there are really good.”
Virginia: “I’ve been to a couple of games there, and the environment they have stands out. The coaches reach out, and we talk. I’ve known Coach (Jason) Williford since playing 15u with Team Takeover and his son Austin Williford.”
Indiana: “They send me a lot of the stuff they’re doing with Trayce Jackson Davis. They are telling me they want me to come in and play similar to that. That is interesting to me.”
“Kentucky and Kansas are really the only two schools who haven’t offered that are talking to me,” Ngongba said.
In his words
“I’m going to narrow things down here soon, by the end of June,” Ngongba said. “I’ll probably end up committing in the fall.
“For one, I want to go to a school that can develop me. I want to get to the next level, so a program and a coach that can get me there. Also, I want to go somewhere that has a family environment. A place I can bond with the players, play video games and hang out.
“How the coaches play, how they look to use me in the system will definitely be a factor and something I look at, but it won’t be the biggest thing for me.”
Patrick Ngongba’s mom, Tajama (Abraham) Ngongba, scored 2,173 career points at George Washington prior to being the 31st overall pick in the 1997 WNBA Draft. She was inducted into the George Washington Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004 and is currently an Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at George Mason. His dad, Patrick Ngongba, played at George Washington from 1997-2001, where he started 64 games in his career.