The first official visit of 2026 for Deng Ngor and his family was one to remember.
During the first weekend of September, the 6-foot-8, 200-pound power forward checked out Ohio State on his first of four planned official visits – for now, at least. While in Columbus, Ngor spent time with the 2026-27 Buckeyes men’s basketball team, toured campus, checked out the student housing and joined 100,000 others in taking in the first home football game of the season.
A few days later, the experience was still resonating with Ngor’s father, Joseph.
“Very, very mind-blowing,” he said. “The hospitality was really, really nice. The football was an eye-opener for me. Wow. Only in Ohio do they have that kind of football, and the arena for basketball? Wow. And
everything is all in one area. I have never seen something like that.”
It’s been a whirlwind of a couple of months for the Ngor family when it comes to basketball. An unranked prospect in the 247Sports.com rankings as of mid-July, strong performances both with his AAU team and while playing for Canada in the 2026 FIBA U18 AmeriCup placed him at No. 150 nationally on July 20.
When those rankings refreshed Aug. 28, he was up to No. 55 and a four-star prospect. Along the way, he picked up a slew of high-major scholarship offers heading into his senior season at Fort Erie International Academy in Ontario, Canada.
“We’re just handling it with the attitude that it’s a good problem to have, but if it was not that attitude I would have said it’s stressful,” Joseph Ngor said. “It has been really, really crazy. Everybody is coming up with a lot of promises from the agents, from the schools, from all walks of life. We just have been saying to Deng, take it as a good problem and don’t let it bother you.”
In Canada’s gold medal win against the Americans on June 8, Deng Ngor finished with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, three steals and two rebounds in a 67-65 win. By that point, Ohio State had already offered him a scholarship. In the days that followed, Auburn, Virginia, Butler and Washington followed suit, and by mid-August both Florida and Duke had offered him as well.
The Buckeyes got his first scheduled official visit of the fall, and Joseph Ngor said it was important for the family to get a feel for where their son would be spending his time once he leaves home.
“The best part of the weekend is how the university made us a priority,” he said. “Everywhere we were feeling like we were in a spotlight. The way the coaching staff and Ohio (State) family all treated us, we felt like first class in (the) state.”
Joseph Ngor said Ohio State coach Jake Diebler and assistant coach Luke Simons have been their primary contacts and that spending time with them was also a highlight.
“We were kind of like brothers before we (even) saw each other,” he said. “Luke and Jake and Dave (Dickerson), the assistant coaches that have been in contact with the family, we felt like we knew each other even before we met face to face. We were connected with all their families, especially Jake and Luke. We pretty much know their families now, their kids and wives.”
Deng Ngor has three more official visits on the calendar. He is scheduled to go to Washington on Sept. 18, Florida on Sept. 22 and Duke on Oct. 15.
That could change, his father said.
“Honestly, we are people who will feel it when it comes,” Joseph Ngor said. “I told Jake and Luke that we feel comfortable with Ohio State and the final piece, which is the financial piece, needs to make sense but we want to show you that we liked it here. If things work out, we really don’t want to waste people’s time.
“We are all working on that and depending on that, that will determine as to whether we continue to visit or make a different plan.”
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social, on Instagram at @cdadamjardyor on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State visit made a strong impression on fast-rising Deng Ngor
