KU offers scholarship to high school big man Patrick Ngongba. He has visited K-State
Kansas has offered a men’s basketball scholarship to high school senior-to-be big man Patrick Ngongba II, he reported Monday on Twitter.
Ngongba, listed at 6-10 and 240 pounds out of St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax, Virginia, is ranked No. 17 overall in the recruiting class of 2024 by ESPN.com and No. 32 by both Rivals.com and 247Sports.com.
Ngongba has made an official campus visit to Kansas State and is considered one of the Wildcats’ top targets by various recruiting sites. According to SI.com, he also has visited Duke, UConn and Providence — and also has Indiana, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Michigan, Syracuse, Maryland and others on his recruiting list.
“While no insiders have predicted Ngongba’s college destination, it’s safe to say Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang has prioritized him. He showed up to watch him at DMV Live in Maryland along with three assistants,” wrote Matt Giles of SI.com.
Ngongba told On3.com’s Jamie Shaw: “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.”
Ngongba’s mother, Tajama Ngongba, scored a school-record 2,173 points in four seasons (1993-97) at George Washington University before heading to the WNBA. She is the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots (326) and second in total rebounds (970).
Ngongba’s dad, Patrick Ngongba, was a starter at George Washington from 1993-97. He scored 498 points in four seasons.
During the 2023 Nike EYBL session, Patrick Ngongba II averaged 12.7 points on 70.3% shooting. He also averaged 7.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots a game. He earned second-team regular season all-EYBL honors.
One of his Team Takeover AAU teammates, Darren Harris of the class of 2024, has committed to Duke.
“My decision-making is the biggest difference in my game since the start of the AAU season,” Ngongba told On3.com. “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.”
