Paul VI big man Ngongba talks UVa visit, fit with the Wahoos

Class of 2024 center Patrick Ngongba of Paul VI is coming off an unofficial visit to Virginia as he was in attendance for the Wahoos victory over Duke last Saturday. And it was a key visit for the Hoos as Ngongba is becoming an important recruit for the Virginia staff after picking up an offer in December.

Currently a starter for a top five team in the country in a majority of polls with a record of 25-1, it’s been a big year thus far for the Chantilly prospect.

“The high school season has been great,” Ngongba told CavsCorner. “I have definitely made improvements in my game. I feel like as a team we are growing on and off the court. On the court, I feel like we are getting better everyday and I really think we are coming together better overall and we have taken big steps since the beginning of the season.”

The relationship with Ngongba started with Virginia’s Associate Head Coach Jason Williford and has grown from there.

“Coach Williford is just saying he really likes the way I play,” Ngongba explained, “and he would love to see me at UVa one day. He was really happy he could get me down for a visit and see a game. He has been reaching out a lot to just check on me and see how I am doing.”

Ngongba said he was really glad he got the opportunity to visit last weekend as he got to finally see Virginia play in person but also talk with Tony Bennett.

“The visit was really good,” he said. “I got to see them play Duke and then after UVa won I got to talk with Coach Bennett and I really enjoyed talking with him. I learned a lot more about the school and the basketball program in general.”

After watching the team up close, he came away having enjoyed seeing the success that the Virginia post players have.

“I definitely like the style they play with,” Ngongba said. “They try to get their bigs involved in different sets and that is really intriguing.”

After the victory against Duke, Ngongba met with Bennett and he got to hear a lot of praise from the all-time wins leader at UVa.

“He is saying he would love to have me at UVa and would just love to coach me in college,” Ngongba said. “He said he really likes my game and he thinks the way I play would fit very well at UVa.”

In terms of fit, Ngongba explained what Bennett told him about how he would fit into what Virginia does.

“He thinks my overall skill set would work really well in the system he runs,” Ngongba said. “For a big man he thinks that I pass really well and he says I make a lot of good reads for a player my size. He also said he likes the energy I play with and thinks a lot of my teammates feed off my energy well.”

One thing that Ngongba walked away raving about was John Paul Jones Arena.

“The facilities there are definitely top tier,” he said. “They were telling me there have been a lot of upgrades since they won the national championship. Everything is really nice and looks brand new.”

Ngongba wasn’t alone on his trip to Charlottesville, as he was joined by his cousin and fellow 2024 prospect Isaiah Abraham, who is also a Virginia recruit. Ngongba and Abraham have talked about playing together at the next level but he told CavsCorner it’s not something that necessarily has to happen.

“It doesn’t matter if we play with each other or not,” he explained, “but if it happens it would be really cool and something special.”

When asked what other schools he wants to visit, Ngongba mentioned Iowa, San Diego, Georgetown.