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Five-star center Patrick Ngongba — the No. 25 recruit in the 2024 class, per the 247Sports Composite — committed to Duke on Saturday, choosing the Blue Devils over fellow finalists Kentucky and Kansas State. Here’s what you need to know:

• Ngongba is Duke’s fifth commit so far in the 2024 class, and his addition solidifies the Blue Devils’ overall recruiting class ranking as No. 1 nationally. (Rival North Carolina previously held that honor, making Duke’s ascent that much more enjoyable for fans.)
• Listed at 6 feet 11 and 235 pounds, Ngongba is the only legitimate big man thus far in Duke’s 2024 class.
• The Blue Devils went back to a familiar well, Paul VI Catholic High (Va.), to land their center of the future. Ngongba’s current high school teammate, Darren Harris, is also in Duke’s 2024 class, and the program previously landed two other starters from the high school: current senior Jeremy Roach, as well as Trevor Keels, who started alongside Roach on Duke’s 2022 Final Four team.

What Duke is getting in Ngongba

The conventional big man it desperately needed in the 2024 class. First, consider who Jon Scheyer already had slated to arrive on campus next summer:

• Five-star forward Cooper Flagg (No. 1 in 2024, per the 247Sports Composite)
• Five-star guard Isaiah Evans (No. 11)
• Five-star wing Kon Knueppel (No. 15)
• Four-star guard/wing Darren Harris (No. 56)

That’s already a top-tier class … but one noticeably lacking size. In fact, Flagg — listed at 6 feet 9 and 195 pounds — was Duke’s only “frontcourt” commit prior to Ngongba, and he’s more of a wing than a true interior-oriented forward. Why was it so important for Scheyer to land a big man in this class, then? Well, because he’s liable (if not likely) to lose his top three frontcourt players from this season; graduate center Ryan Young will be out of eligibility, and sophomores Kyle Filipowski and Mark Mitchell are both expected to head to the NBA. That would leave just five-star freshman Sean Stewart and developmental big man Christian Reeves as frontcourt options for next season. That … isn’t going to cut it. In Ngongba, Scheyer gets another big body who can compete to start, but who can be part of the frontcourt rotation in some fashion from day one.

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As far as Ngongba’s skills are concerned, he’s in the conventional, back-to-the-basket big man mold. He’s a tremendous interior scorer for his age, with soft hands and a developing array of post moves. Some evaluators believe Ngongba still has the potential to improve his shooting range over time, but for now, he’s mostly an interior player. The two things to watch here are health — Ngongba has dealt with several injuries already in high school — and how he fits defensively; he’s not the most mobile big, and may be forced into drop coverage as a result.

Where Duke goes next on the recruiting trail

Ngongba was the last “must-get” on Duke’s radar — strictly from a roster balance perspective — but Scheyer still has two elite 2024 targets he’s after: combo guard Dylan Harper Jr. (No. 2) and guard/wing VJ Edgecombe (No. 6). Harper’s recruitment, one of the more high-profile in the country, will come down to either Rutgers or Duke. While multiple factors are working in Rutgers’ favor — Harper’s older brother, Ron Jr., played there, and fellow top-5 recruit Ace Bailey is already committed to the Scarlet Knights — sources briefed on Harper’s decision-making process say Duke absolutely still has a chance to land his services. If Harper does choose the Blue Devils, it would mark Duke’s third time landing two top-three prospects since 2018.

Then there’s Edgecombe, a true wing known for his high-flying athleticism. But if Duke were to land him, it’s not inconceivable that another of the program’s current 2024 commits would start evaluating other options; in Evans, Knueppel and Harris, the Blue Devils already have three perimeter players with positional overlap.

Lastly, even with Ngongba’s commitment, expect Duke to turn to the transfer portal next offseason for further frontcourt reinforcements.

Required reading

(Photo of Scheyer: Jim Dedmon / USA Today)

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