The Gators find themselves in a big-time recruiting battle as 2027 Canadian forward Deng Ngor named his final four schools including Florida, Duke, Ohio State, and Washington. In naming these schools he also stated he would be going on official visits to each of them, all around the middle of October.
Ngor hails from Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada–an incredibly isolated city in the north of the country that is nowhere near the basketball hotbeds. Doing enough to get noticed, he ultimately earned a chance to play at powerhouse Fort Erie Prep, and that’s where his recruiting started to pick up.
Where his stock really skyrocketed was in the FIBA U18 Americup where Canada stunned USA in the finals, and Ngor shined with 15 points and 3 steals. Overall in the event, Ngor averaged 10.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while hitting 38% of his threes. This win for Canada increased the profile of just about all of their players, and Ngor saw probably the biggest leap. He’s currently the 80th ranked player in the class, and the fact that he has the final four schools he does speaks to just how recruiting has changed, and savvy programs are valuing players like Ngor that are likely to be in college for multiple years.
Listed at 6’8” and 200 pounds, Ngor is the look of a modern forward that can guard multiple positions and knock down open shots. Ngor isn’t an elite shooter, but he practices good shot selection which bolsters some strong percentages and projects him as someone who could be a more impactful shooter in the future. He’s also not a flashy player–the ball doesn’t stick in his hands, and he’s much better attacking off the catch if he doesn’t get a wide open jump shot. There is also a lot of pride here on the defensive end, and he’s able to create a lot of turnovers without getting out of position or gambling.
This is also where the final four schools probably see such immense long term value, as Ngor is someone that is going to be complimentary to just about any lineup you throw him in, and he’s never going to take bad shots or turn the ball over that much. All the schools recruiting him are capable of getting higher-usage stars from other avenues, and Ngor looks like the exact kind of starter you want next to them.
Because he grew up in a smaller community without access to high level basketball, Ngor only started playing at the highest youth levels in the last few years, and that could also mean he still has room to grow and perhaps he does become more of the prototypical star. Given the caliber of his final four schools, it’s likely there are some coaches who believe in another leap.
Nowadays it is getting a lot more rare for kids to clearly state their final schools alongside a visit schedule, and by doing so it seems Ngor could be looking to make a commitment later in the fall after his visits are wrapped up. It’s unknown exactly what Florida’s chances are here, but they are clearly in the mix.