One Duke Basketball Recruiting Target Enjoys Massive Ranking Bump

Two days before arriving in Durham for an official visit with the Duke basketball program this weekend, Paul VI Catholic (Va.) center Patrick Ngongba II jumped 54 spots to No. 33 on the 247Sports 2024 Ranking. That boosted the 6-foot-10, 235-pound nimble bruiser's composite ranking to No. 48 overall in the class.

Ngongba, a teammate to Duke basketball pledge and four-star 2024 small forward Darren Harris at Paul VI Catholic and for Team Takeover in Nike EYBL play, sat at No. 135 on the 247Sports 2024 Composite only two months ago.

But the meteoric rise in his stock was long overdue in light of his averages of 12.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in only 19.7 minutes per game for a Team Takeover squad tied atop the Pool A standings with a 14-3 record (between the past two months' four Nike EYBL sessions).

After the updated rankings came out, 247Sports' Eric Bossi spotlighted Ngongba's impossible-to-miss recent emergence:

"The development of Patrick Ngongba II over the last few months has been impressive in many ways. The 6-foot-10 big man first hit the 247Sports radar last summer as a hard-playing big man who had great positional size. Since then, he's gotten his body into tip-top condition. Along with his improved conditioning and athleticism, his all-around game has totally taken off. He's become a pretty reliable scorer in the paint, has significantly improved his touch, and he has been adding something new to his game each time he takes the floor."

Bossi implied that the four-star should reach five-star status if his prowess continues to stand out this summer.

Patrick Ngongba II became an official target of the Blue Devils in late May and is now the only undecided big man on the 2024 Duke basketball offer sheet.

He'll follow up his trip to Durham with an official visit to UConn next week. Other top players in his budding recruitment include Iowa, Kansas State, Providence, and Virginia.

Meanwhile, one of Duke's two 2024 commits, North Meck (N.C.) five-star small forward Isaiah Evans, climbed six notches to No. 10 overall in the eyes of 247Sports (now No. 15 composite). As for Harris, the sharpshooter fell from No. 41 to No. 60 (No. 53 composite).

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke basketball recruiting news.