Duke big man Patrick Ngongba II is returning for his junior season, he announced Monday in a collaborative Instagram post with the Duke men’s basketball team.
Ngongba averaged 10.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 blocks last season, all career highs.
The 20-year-old started 28 games as a sophomore after spending most of his freshman year behind Khaman Maluach and Maliq Brown. He began to break out late in that freshman campaign after Brown suffered a dislocated shoulder.
This past season, the roles were reversed. Brown stepped into the starting lineup when Ngongba missed five games in March, including Duke’s first-round win over Siena. Ngongba returned for the second round against TCU and resumed a reserve role for the remainder of the tournament. Duke’s run ended in the Elite Eight against UConn.
With Cameron Boozer expected to declare for the NBA Draft and Brown out of eligibility, Ngongba provides stability in the frontcourt for Duke.
He joins sophomore point guard Cayden Boozer, who has already announced his return. Isaiah Evans, Dame Sarr and Caleb Foster have yet to decide whether they will return or enter the NBA Draft, while former Blue Devil reserves Nikolas Khamenia and Darren Harris have entered the transfer portal this offseason
