The fact that Duke was able to bring back some of the players it did over the past couple of months was absolutely ridiculous. It’s a great indication that not only is Jon Scheyer doing exactly what he needs to ensure that he has the best roster in all of college basketball next season, or at least one of them, but it’s also a great sign that Duke is giving enough money to the university to spend on what it has to do.
Duke will always be among the top spenders in college basketball, and Scheyer being able to recruit on top of that is only a better sign.
Even more impressive is that he was able to poach a couple of guys out of the NBA draft. That includes Patrick Ngongba, the 6-foot-11 center coming off a very impressive season, averaging 10.1 points and 5.8 rebounds.
Unfortunately, the Virginia native dealt with injuries throughout the campaign, which slowed him down. Based on how Ngongba is feeling, there are very good signs he’s back to where he needs to be.
Speaking to reporters at ACC Media Day, Scheyer had a lot of good things to say about the young man.
“It’s everything for us,” Scheyer said, per Anna Snyder. “I think it’s easy to overlook his importance to our team. Even last year, I think you can see the difference statistically with and without him. He’s been the core of who we’ve been the last couple of years. Even two years ago, our team was different with him on the floor.”
“I just love seeing him healthy,” Scheyer said. “I think he’s added a layer of aggressiveness that has been great to see. And I think defensively, he’s still going to be that same guy that changes the game. But offensively, he’s going to add a lot in terms of his shooting, driving, aggressiveness in the post as well.”
Ngongba is one of those guys who, even if he isn’t putting up big stats in a game, will make a difference regardless of what he’s doing on the court.
