Mostly UCLA Hoops
A silo for (mostly) all things UCLA Basketball past, present & future
Sunday, April 21, 2024
Former UCLA Assistant Coach Mark Gottfried's podcast: "Mick Cronin: At The Helm of UCLA Men's Basketball"
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Welcome to UCLA, Skyy Clark, Eric Dailey Jr., and Kobe Johnson!
Monday, February 12, 2024
2024 Top prospect Khaman Maluach 7-2 235 C will be at UCLA vs USC game at Pauley on Feb 24!!!
Duke, Kentucky, UCLA, Kansas, Baylor, and the pros (G League Ignite and the NBL Next Stars program in Australia) are potential destinations for 2024-25. Predictions leaning towards Duke to join No. 1 recruit Cooper Flagg.
From 247sports.com
Top prospect Khaman Maluach to be eligible for 2025 draft
- Jonathan Givony, ESPNDec 17, 2023, 04:49 PM ET
Khaman Maluach, one of the top young basketball prospects in the world, has elected to graduate high school next summer, making him eligible for the NBA draft in 2025.
"I think I am ready to play at that level," Maluach told ESPN. "I've played against some of the top [prospects] in 2024 and 2025, and against pros in the FIBA World Cup. Playing against guys who are stronger and more experienced helped me realize where I stand and what I need to work on."
The 17-year-old, 7-foot-2 center from South Sudan has been developing at the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal since 2021. He was named MVP of the NBA's Basketball Without Borders Africa camp in August, then earned a spot on the South Sudan senior national team, becoming the third-youngest player in FIBA World Cup history.
Previously slated to graduate high school in 2025, Maluach is being recruited by the likes of Duke, Kentucky, UCLA, Kansas and Baylor, and now has the option to join a college program a year early should he choose. He is also receiving interest from professional options such as G League Ignite and the NBL Next Stars program in Australia; or, he could elect to conduct a postgraduate year with the NBA Academy Africa and become the first player ever to be drafted directly from Africa.
"I want to go somewhere where they put my development first," Maluach said. "Get me ready for the next step, but also winning too. I would like to go somewhere where I can win a championship."
Maluach boasts a 7-foot-6 wingspan with outstanding mobility, giving him the defensive versatility to guard smaller players on the perimeter and be a significant deterrent as a rim protector. He has range on his jump shot and tremendous finishing prowess. Maluach averaged 21 points, 15.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocks shooting 40% from 3 in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) qualifiers last month with the NBA Academy Africa.
Maluach will be watched closely by NBA executives from all 30 teams this week at the G League Winter Showcase in Orlando, Florida, where he will play two games versus the NBA Global and Latin America academies as part of the 2023 NBA Academy Winter Tour. This will be Maluach's third time participating in the event, giving him significant experience to fall back on despite having just turned 17 several months ago.
"The NBA Academy is like family," he said. "The teammates and coaches have created a bond which will last forever. I want to go a place like that. On our team I bring leadership and energy on defense. I'm a rim protector who gets everyone involved. I communicate, keep our team together. For me to reach my full potential, I need to work on my handle, my shot, everything.
"I watch a lot of Giannis [Antetokounmpo], a lot of [Joel] Embiid, Chet [Holmgren], [Victor] Wembanyama. Someday I will be guarding those guys, so I need to know how they play."
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Tracy Pierson posted an article on Maluach on Feb 6 but it's behind a paywall so I cannot access it. You guys can look it up if you have a BRO subscription.
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Locked On UCLA's Zach Anderson-Yoxsimer also talked about Maluach on a recent podcast episode trying to get Alfred Aboya to hook UCLA up with Maluach:
Tuesday, December 26, 2023
J3 delivers on Christmas Day! Drops CAREER-HIGH 31 points plus 10 caroms! 🔥🎄 | December 25, 2023
Game highlights
Friday, December 15, 2023
Inside the Heat: Jaime Jaquez, Jr.
JICYMI. J3's documentary from draft night through to the summer league. Tons of videos from J3's childhood, behind the scenes from draft night, first visit to the Miami Heat home, summer league, etc. Great stuff!
17:21 UCLA 8-clap for breakfast from j3 and kluv. sweet. breakfast of champions.
Thanks to Luis Claudio De Jesús Charles for posting this on YouTube.