The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the parents, fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The Sweet 16/Elite 8 are taking place in 4 cities around the country and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is covering all the angles so you can look forward to an abundance of access in the days ahead. Jon Teitel continues our coverage from DC with a trio of interviews of Duke basketball fathers.
Val Khamenia (father of Nikolas)
You are from Belarus: how did you 1st get into basketball? I started playing at age 7: all the other kids in my neighborhood were playing so I just joined them.
Your son Nik was born/raised in Los Angeles, where he helped his Harvard-Westlake High School team win back-to-back state championships in 2023/2024: what did it mean to you to see him win a pair of titles? As a family we were very happy for him. He put a lot of work in, and that was the price of all his hard work.
He played for Team USA at the 2024 FIBA U-18 AmeriCup/2024 FIBA 3×3 U-18 World Cup/2025 FIBA U-19 World Cup: what did it mean to you to see him represent his country/win all those gold medals? Same as above: we are very proud of him because it is a very selective group of guys who make Team USA.
Last year he was named a McDonald’s All-American: what did it mean to him to receive such an outstanding honor? Every kid grows up dreaming about that: it makes you a part of history so you cannot get any better than that.
What made him choose Duke? It is 1 of the top programs in country, so he can continue to grow here as person 1st/player 2nd.
He plays for Coach Jon Scheyer: what makes him such a great coach? He is 1 of the best. He is a young guy who can relate to his players and he is a winner.
He has played 37 games this year and averaged 5.7 PPG: how was he able to come in and contribute right from the start? It has been a journey that had its ups and downs. Most people do not remember that he only played 7-8 minutes as a freshman in high school, but all the games you mentioned above prepared him to be a good player.
You played basketball at GW: who is the best athlete in the family? I cannot answer that: we have too many of them!
Last Friday night the Blue Devils trailed St. John’s by 10 PTS with 15 minutes left: how nervous were you, and how were they able to pull off the upset? I was not nervous at all. The Duke roster is full of good players who have won trophies at different levels so they know how to compete and impose their will on their opponent, which they did in the 2nd half.
Any predictions for tonight’s game vs. UConn? We are going to win.
Kevin Harris (father of Darren)
Your son Darren was born/raised in Herndon, VA: how exciting is it for your family to be at the Elite 8 in DC? It is great: we would be there to support him no matter where the game was played, but to be in our own backyard is special.
What made him choose Duke? Nights like these: Duke is the place to go for such nights.
He plays for Coach Jon Scheyer: what makes him such a great coach? He has kept the legacy going and relates to his players. He does a great job situationally getting the right guys on the court and exploiting mismatches. As coach you must give up some things, but they are doing a great job tonight.
Last Friday night the Blue Devils trailed St. John’s by 10 PTS with 15 minutes left: how nervous were you, and how were they able to pull off the upset? I was not nervous: they had been there before, like when they trailed Siena at halftime last week. It was great to see Caleb Foster rally the guys on the bench even though he was coming off an injury. I was there when Caleb got hurt, but I saw the determination in his face, and I talked to his dad. Caleb put in a lot of hard work and all the credit goes to him and the coaching staff.
Any predictions for tonight’s game vs. UConn? UConn might catch fire from 3-PT range in the 2nd half…but I think Duke will win it by 8-10 PTS.
Patrick Ngongba (father of Patrick II)
Your son Patrick II was born/raised in Manassas, VA: how exciting is it for him to be at the Elite 8 in DC? It is very special.
He won a gold medal at the 2024 FIBA U-18 AmeriCup and won the 2024 Nike Hoop Summit: what did it mean to him to represent his country/win a gold medal? He represented the teams well and enjoyed the time he spent there.
What made him choose Duke? It is a good school and a great place for Patrick. It has such a great history/culture and he is in good hands.
He plays for Coach Jon Scheyer: what makes him such a great coach? He played for the greatest coach (Coach K) so he knows what it takes to win.
Last Friday night the Blue Devils trailed St. John’s by 10 PTS with 15 minutes left: how nervous were you, and how were they able to pull off the upset? I call them the “Comeback Kids”! I trusted them to eventually take the lead, and they did.
You and your wife Tajama played basketball at GW: who is the best athlete in the family? My wife broke the school scoring record for the women’s team (2134 PTS) so I will have to go with her.
Any predictions for tonight’s game vs. UConn? No specific prediction…but it will be a good game and end with a Duke win.
Check back for a lot more access all weekend long!
