4-star C Patrick Ngongba commits to Duke; Kentucky all-in on Jayden Quaintance

Kentucky missed out on a highly-ranked center this weekend, but the Wildcats have sights on a bigger prize.

On Saturday, four-star class of 2024 center Patrick Ngongba committed to the Duke Blue Devils and head coach Jon Scheyer. Ngongba, a 6-foot-10, 235-pound big man from the class of 2024, was down to a trio of finalists that included Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas State, but the Blue Devils were viewed as the perceived leader in the weeks leading up to his announcement and ultimately won out in the end. He is considered a four-star recruit and the No. 21 overall high school senior in the country by the On3 Industry Ranking.

Kentucky and head coach John Calipari got into the race for Ngongba relatively late in the process, extending him a scholarship in mid-July. He still took an official visit to UK in late September, but the momentum never truly shifted in the Wildcats’ favor.

NEWS: Patrick Ngongba, the No. 21 overall prospect in the 2024 class, tells me he’s committed to Duke.

The 6-10 center chose the Blue Devils over Kansas State and Kentucky.

Story: https://t.co/cqmo34TMEV pic.twitter.com/v8Gv3Gq3ty

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) November 4, 2023

Kentucky looking to lock down Jayden Quaintance

That was probably for the best, too. Kentucky already has one center from the 2024 class committed in 6-foot-10 four-star Somto Cyril and is considered the leader for another big man, 6-foot-10 five-star Jayden Quaintance. Quaintance is considered the No. 8 overall high school senior and the No. 2 ranked center by the On3 Industry Ranking.

Quaintance is especially high on Kentucky’s radar for a multitude of reasons, one of the main ones being that he will have to play at least two seasons of college basketball before heading off to the NBA. The Word of God Christian Academy star (the same school that former ‘Cat John Wall attended) is only 16 years old and recently reclassified from the class of 2025 to 2024.

So far, Quaintance has taken official visits to Ohio State (Sept. 8-10), Missouri (Sept. 22-24), South Florida (Sept. 29-Oct. 1), Florida (Oct. 13-15), and Kentucky (Oct. 27-29). He’s also visited the G League. Florida and Missouri are thought to be Kentucky’s biggest competition for Quaintance’s services at this time with the G League lurking. At this point, we’ll be waiting to see if he ends up taking any more official visits.

Here’s what On3 national recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw wrote about Quaintance’s game back in May:

“Jayden Quaintance is a strong and physical presence. He plays with a ferocity around the basket, hunting dunks every time he gets within 5 to 10 feet of the rim. He can push the break and has excellent court vision. Is very young for his grade. He is a good rebounder in and out of his area. He is quiet, but he plays with a toughness. He can slide his feet on defense, open his hips as he changes directions, and has natural timing with good length around the basket.”

Quaintance and Word of God Christian Academy are a part of the Overtime Elite league this season. The versatile big man has already played two games for the Holy Rams in 2023-24. Although his team lost both contests, Quaintance went for 23 points (9-15 FG), eight rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in 32 minutes on Nov. 3 before recording 14 points (5-15 FG), nine rebounds, three assists, four steals, and four blocks in 36 minutes one day later.

Along with Cyril, Kentucky also holds a class of 2024 commitment from five-star point guard Boogie Fland. Could Quaintance be the next domino to fall?