Duke basketball DMV natives return home for Sweet 16 matchup vs. St. John’s
WASHINGTON, D.C. — For many of Duke basketball’s players, the Blue Devils Sweet 16 meeting against St. John’s isn’t just another stop in the 2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament.
It’s home.
Nearly a quarter of Duke’s roster – Maliq Brown, Brock Davis, Darren Harris and Patrick Ngongba II – hail from the area, better known as the DMV. It also will be Duke’s second game at Capital One Arena this season, having taken down then-No. 1 Michigan 68-63 at the venue on Feb. 21, 2026.
The top-ranked Blue Devils (34-2) return to the venue a little more than a month later, this time against 5-seeded St. John’s (30-6) and head coach Rick Pitino on Friday, March 27. Duke is making its 31st trip to the Sweet 16 and its third-straight.
“Going back near our homes is gonna be crazy,” Harris said. “Playing in front of a lot of family and friends on the biggest stage.”
Washington, D.C. homecoming for Duke basketball players
Brown’s hometown of Culpeper, Virginia, is about an hour and a half southwest of Washington, D.C. Still, the Duke senior found his way to D.C. “too much” due to his mom, Tasha’s, job.
“I used to always find my way down here,” he said.
Not a Wizards fan, Brown still found himself at games in Capital One Arena “pretty often.”
“It’s kind of crazy looking back to it now being in this arena playing right now,” Brown said.
Harris and Ngongba both played high school basketball St. Paul VI in Chantilly, Virginia, a little more than 30 minutes outside of D.C., but are from different parts in Virginia. Harris is a native of Herndon, 24 miles outside of D.C., while Ngongba is from Manassas, 32 miles outside of the city.
Harris, like Brown, was not loyal to the hometown team. He still found himself at many games, especially when the Oklahoma City Thunder, his favorite team growing up, or some of his favorite players – Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Carmelo Anthony – were in town.
“Playing in the arena you grew up watching your favorite players play in, its surreal,” he said. “I can’t wait.”
Davis, a recent addition to the Duke roster, grew up only about 10 minutes from the venue in Dupont Park. Like his teammates, he was not a Wizards fan, but would get to games “on occasion,” guessing he’s been to anywhere from 10-15 games.
Still, the experience of getting to play at his hometown arena is one that cannot be beat.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “Being here, playing in the gym that you grew up going to games to.”
