Syracuse Basketball: Orange appears out of contention for 4-star big man

Syracuse basketball, at this juncture, doesn’t appear to be a significant contender for 2024 four-star center Patrick Ngongba II, who hails from the Washington, D.C., area and is one of the fastest-rising prospects nationwide in his class.

The 6-foot-10 Ngongba was offered a scholarship by the Orange coaching staff in late April, around the time of NCAA live periods on the AAU circuit. Ngongba, not long after he received a ‘Cuse offer, said in at least one interview that he wanted to visit the Hill.

However, over the past two months, Ngongba has gone on some official visits to other schools, and he may take additional campus visits, according to recent interviews that he’s given with national recruiting analysts.

While things can ebb and flow in a high-school player’s recruiting process, lately, Ngongba has not mentioned potentially taking an official visit to the Orange. This leads me to believe that the ‘Cuse isn’t likely to prevail in Ngongba’s recruitment.

Syracuse basketball seems to be out of the running for 2024 four-star center Patrick Ngongba II.

Ngongba is a rising senior at the powerhouse St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va. In grassroots basketball, he plays for the Washington, D.C.-based Team Takeover in Nike’s EYBL league.

Donnie Freeman, a four-star power forward who verbally committed to the Orange in May, also suits up for Team Takeover’s 17U squad, which is one of the favorites to win the prestigious Peach Jam tournament early next month.

In the past, both Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry and assistant coach Brenden Straughn were assistants with the Team Takeover program, and Autry also served as an assistant coach at St. Paul VI Catholic a while back.

To date, besides the ‘Cuse, Ngongba’s offer sheet includes Duke, Michigan, 2023 national champion UConn, Mississippi State, Indiana, Virginia Tech, Providence, Kansas State, Georgetown, Iowa, Virginia, Butler, George Washington, Wichita State, Ole Miss, Maryland, Pittsburgh, George Mason and Notre Dame, among others.

In a recent interview with On3 national analyst Jamie Shaw, Ngongba noted that he has officially visited Kansas State, UConn, Duke and Providence. He told Shaw that he may take visits to Iowa, Virginia, and Indiana.

Ngongba added that blue-blood programs Kentucky and Kansas are both showing interest in him, although neither the Wildcats nor the Jayhawks have yet to offer. He plans to make a decision this fall.

For what it’s worth, I talked to a recruiting insider in the Washington, D.C., market in the last week or so, and he said that Syracuse basketball is “all but officially out” in Ngongba’s recruitment. This expert said that some of the main players for Ngongba include Kansas State, UConn and Duke.

Numerous recruiting services have updated their 2024 national rankings of late. Ngongba has vaulted inside the top 45 overall according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking, On3, Rivals.com and 247Sports. He’s also a top-five center in this class.