Big plays from a big man.
Already ahead 46-12 in the first half of Saturday’s win against Wofford, Duke’s Patrick Ngongba II rose up and tipped an offensive rebound out to Tyrese Proctor. Proctor faked an open three, and dumped it off to Mason Gillis for an even more open three.
To the Cameron Crazies’ despair, Gillis missed; but Ngongba was still there. In a carbon-copy of the previous play, he fought for a tightly contested offensive rebound, and tipped it to Proctor while falling backwards. Once again, the sophomore point guard found an open sniper, freshman Isaiah Evans.
This time, Cameron got its celebration.
Despite the massive lead, this wasn’t just another game for Ngongba. The freshman made his Blue Devil debut Saturday, following a recovery from an offseason foot surgery he suffered during his high school senior campaign. The 6-foot-11 center will likely back up classmate Khaman Maluach and junior Maliq Brown in the paint for head coach Jon Scheyer, but could share the second-unit minutes with Brown.
“Today, it was very exciting to get out there for the first time and make an impact,” Ngongba said.
And impact the game, he did. The aforementioned offensive boards were two of his five Saturday afternoon — a team-high. He added on a defensive rebound for a total of six, the second most on the team in only 11 minutes. Ngongba’s vision was also on display throughout, with two assists on 3-pointers. Despite not seeing the floor until today, Ngongba proved to be an outstanding talent.
“I’ve watched Pat play ever since early in high school,” Scheyer said. “His feel and instincts as a 6-foot-11 guy with a 7-foot-3 wingspan are rare, his ability is special.”
Someone else who’s watched Ngongba play is Duke guard Darren Harris. The pair of Virginians went to St. Paul VI high school together — the same alma mater as former Blue Devil Jeremy Roach — and committed to spend their college years together as well.
“It was special to see my brother go out there and make his debut,” Harris said. “It’s been something we’ve been talking about for a long time. He’s been through a lot with injury throughout his high school career, so I’m glad he got to get out there and play and contribute to the big win.”
As Harris mentioned, it’s hard to play basketball for years without injury, especially for someone nearing 7-feet. Ngongba’s road to recovery has been long, having undergone the surgery last December.
“It’s going to take time where he can build up in terms of how much he can play,” Scheyer said. “It’s going to be limited minutes this year, because we have to be cautious with his loads in practice.”
However, there have already been injury concerns surrounding the Duke frontcourt this season. Maluach had to sit for a significant stretch of Tuesday’s game against Kentucky with cramps, and he received treatment Saturday for an apparent foot injury. Maluach’s status will likely dictate the nature of the frontcourt rotation.
Prior to Ngongba’s debut, Brown spent time manning the paint, with Scheyer’s team running a slightly undersized lineup. However, both Brown and Ngongba spent time at the five against the Terriers, and while Ngongba was on the floor, Brown moved to the power forward.
Additionally, with Ngongba available on the bench, Scheyer might feel more comfortable running a lineup with Maluach at the five, Brown at the four and shifting Cooper Flagg to the three, if a bigger defensive lineup is necessary. Finally, Ngongba brings a bit more versatility in the paint than Maluach, who’s offensive role is primarily as a lob threat.
“Pat is different.” Brown said. “You don’t really see a big body like that who can also defend, switch off his man. He has good touch … It’s definitely hard to guard him if he catches in the post or if he’s kicking it out. It’s great to have him on the court.”
For the foreseeable future, and the first time in a while, that’s exactly where Ngongba will be — on the court.
