Tag: Khaman Maluach

How flipping a coin helped five-star freshman Khaman Maluach end up at Duke

Five-star basketball freshman Khaman Maluach couldn’t decide whether he wanted to play for Duke or Kansas. So, naturally, he flipped a coin.

As his recruiting cycle narrowed down at the start of the year, five-star basketball prospect [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] couldn’t decide between Duke, the UCLA Bruins, and the Kansas Jayhawks.

On a Tuesday episode of The Brotherhood Podcast, Maluach told sophomore teammate Caleb Foster that, once he narrowed his focus down to those three schools, he kept going back and forth.

“I would wake up in the morning and I’d be like, ‘Oh, I’m going to Duke,'” Maluach said. “And then, at noon, I’d be like ‘Oh, no, I’m going to Kansas.’ And then, before I go to sleep, I’m like ‘Oh, I’ll go to UCLA.'”

Maluach lost some sleep in the process, but he eventually trimmed it down to two schools, the Jayhawks and the Blue Devils. The seven-footer from South Sudan still couldn’t pick one or the other.

So he just flipped a coin.

“The craziest part, the coin fell on Kansas’s side,” Maluach said. “I was disappointed. That’s how I knew I wanted to go to Duke.”

With his decision made, Maluach joined three other five-star freshmen, including top-ranked [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], in the 2024 Duke recruiting class. The rest, head coach Jon Scheyer hopes, will be history.

Five-star freshman Khaman Maluach explains why he chose Duke basketball

Khaman Maluach, the five-star seven-footer from South Sudan, explained why he chose the Duke Blue Devils on The Brotherhood Podcast on Tuesday.

It’d be easy to assume that [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag], the five-star center from South Sudan, chose the Blue Devils in part because of his relationship with Luol Deng.

Deng, the president of the South Sudanese Basketball Federation, played his college ball with the Blue Devils in 2003-04. Maluach played for South Sudan, and by extension Deng, at the most recent Olympic Games in France this summer.

However, despite having a good relationship with Deng, Maluach said on a Tuesday episode of The Brotherhood Podcast that the former Duke star isn’t why he ended up in Durham.

“I wouldn’t say he played a big role,” Maluach said. “I really came to Duke because I love this place and I wanted to tell my story at Duke. That’s one of the main reasons I came here.”

Maluach said he did ask Deng some questions about his Duke experience during the recruiting process, mostly about the environment and his time with the team. Deng, of course, had nothing but rave reviews.

“He really told me, ‘It’s a real brotherhood,’ and then I came here and I saw it myself when I visited,” Malauch said. “I really loved Duke.”

Maluach, a projected lottery pick in the 2025 NBA draft, is expected to be one of the best defensive players in the country this season. He’ll make his Blue Devils debut on October 4 at the Countdown to Craziness.

Duke basketball freshman Khaman Maluach talks about his Olympic experience

Khaman Maluach talked about the Olympics on The Brotherhood Podcast on Tuesday after the 17-year-old represented South Sudan in Paris.

One member of the Duke basketball team joined up with the rest of the Blue Devils in Paris a little later than everyone else, but freshman [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] had a pretty good excuse for his delayed arrival.

Maluach represented South Sudan at the Olympic Games in France this summer, and at just 17 years old, he was the youngest basketball player in the competition. He talked about the experience during a Tuesday episode of The Brotherhood Podcast, including one game against Team USA that pitted him against the best players in the world.

“I didn’t really realize that during the game until the game was finished and I was like, wow, I just played against LeBron James,” Maluach told sophomore teammate Caleb Foster. “Embiid, A.D. (Anthony Davis), the guys I always looked up to, those are the bigs I watched, so me playing against them, being on the same floor motivated me more.”

He and his countrymen picked up South Sudan’s first Olympic win in history during pool play, beating Puerto Rico, but losses to the United States and Serbia kept them from the quarterfinals.

Maluach said that, while sharing the court with NBA superstars was surreal, he got the full Olympic experience once he was eliminated from the competition.

“That’s when I really got to see other sports like beach volleyball and just tour around Paris with my team,” Maluach said.

Maluach, who stands 7-foot-2, is a projected lottery pick in the 2025 NBA draft and many think he’ll be one of the best rim protectors in college basketball from his first game.

Five-star Duke basketball freshman Khaman Maluach back on campus after Olympic run

After representing South Sudan in the Olympic Games, Duke basketball freshman Khaman Maluach is back with the Blue Devils.

Five-star center [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] is back on campus and practicing with the rest of the Blue Devils.

While the rest of his 2024-25 teammates have been getting work in as a team and facing off in scrimmages, Maluach spent the first part of his summer in France representing South Sudan at the 2024 Olympic Games.

South Sudan took Team USA down to the final minute in an exhibition last month and picked up the country’s first Olympic win ever, but Maluach and his countrymen couldn’t advance to the quarterfinals.

The incoming freshman averaged 4.4 minutes per game between the three contests in group play, scoring 0.7 points and pulling down 1.3 rebounds per game.

One of four five-star signees in Duke’s esteemed 2024 recruiting class, Maluach is expected to be one of the sport’s best rim defenders from the first game. Some of his international contests and exhibition games show a few growing pains on offense, but he offers one of the best ceilings in the country and is a presumed lottery pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

Maluach makes his debut in front of Duke fans at the Countdown to Craziness on October 4.

Bleacher Report’s new 2025 NBA mock draft still features four Duke basketball freshmen

Bleacher Report released a new 2025 NBA mock draft on Monday, and four incoming Duke basketball freshmen went in the first round.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman updated his 2025 NBA mock draft on Monday in wake of the 2024 Olympic Games, and incoming Duke basketball star [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] remained the first overall pick.

Flagg, one of four Blue Devils in Wasserman’s one-round projection, has been the heavy favorite to go first overall next summer since he reclassified to the Class of 2024. The top-ranked player in the freshman class made national waves when he played for the Select Team at USA Basketball Olympic training camp, earning praise from NBA stars and scouts.

He ended up with the Brooklyn Nets in Wasserman’s projection.

[autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag], the 7-footer from South Sudan who recently played in the Olympics, comes into the year as the consensus second-best prospect in Duke’s 2024 recruiting class. However, Wasserman thinks five-star [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag] could be the second Blue Devil off the board. He paired the Wisconsin native with the Houston Rockets at 12th overall.

“Even if he comes off the bench…Knueppel’s skill level, IQ and efficiency should pop similar to how Reed Sheppard did in a reserve role at Kentucky,” Wasserman wrote.

Maluach went 18th overall to the Indiana Pacers, and Wasserman highlighted his exceptional performance against Team USA in an exhibition match ahead of the Olympics as a tease of his enormous ceiling.

North Carolina native Isaiah Evans, the last of Duke’s four five-star signees, went 25th overall to the Orlando Magic.

Jayson Tatum in Team USA starting lineup for final group stage game against Puerto Rico

The U.S. men’s basketball team takes on Puerto Rico for the final game of Olympic pool play on Saturday, andJayson Tatum made the starting lineup

The United States men’s basketball team concludes pool play at the 2024 Olympic Games on Saturday against Puerto Rico.

Ahead of the game, the team announced through social media that former Blue Devil [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] would make the starting lineup.

Tatum, who recently won his first NBA championship with the Boston Celtics, notably did not play in Team USA’s first game against Serbia. Social media questioned the decision, citing the Duke legend’s credentials at the age of 26, but coach Steve Kerr insisted he’d include Tatum later on in the Olympics.

In the Americans’ second game in Paris, Tatum scored four points and came away with five rebounds in a victory over South Sudan.

Tatum also won a battle of the Blue Devils in that game. Incoming Duke basketball star [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag], a five-star 7-footer and a member of Jon Scheyer’s esteemed 2024 recruiting class, made the South Sudan Olympic roster, but he only played two minutes against Team USA.

NBA legends LeBron James and Steph Curry, former NBA MVP Joel Embiid, and Devin Booker started alongside Tatum.

RJ Barrett and Canada finish Olympic pool play undefeated after win over Spain

The Canadian men’s basketball team, featuring former Duke star RJ Barrett, defeated Spain on Friday for a third straight Olympic victory.

Former Duke basketball star [autotag]RJ Barrett[/autotag] and his Canadian teammates defeated Spain 88-85 at the 2024 Olympic Games on Friday, ending pool play with a perfect 3-0 record.

The undefeated Canadian team exploded with 30 second-quarter points, leading by double-digits at the midway point. Spain attempted to climb back, outscoring Canada by eight points over the last two quarters, but fell just short of the comeback.

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a 2023-24 NBA MVP finalist, made two free throws in the closing seconds to preserve the win.

Barrett, who led the Canadian team in scoring for both of its first two wins, scored 16 points against Spain. The former Blue Devil ended the three-game run through pool play with 21.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.

Canada now clinches a spot in the quarterfinals. With [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] and Team USA winning their first two games in Group C, Duke fans will have at least two different former Blue Devils to root for in Paris once the elimination bracket begins.

Incoming freshman [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag], who plays for South Sudan, could join them in the final eight depending on his team’s result against Serbia on Saturday.

Bam Adebayo leads USA Basketball to quarterfinals of Olympics with win over South Sudan

Led by a balanced scoring attack, USA Basketball stamped its ticket to the quarterfinals of the Olympics with a victory over South Sudan.

Led by a balanced scoring attack, USA Basketball stamped its ticket to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympic Games with a victory over South Sudan on Wednesday in Lille, France.

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo produced a team-high 18 points and seven rebounds, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant scored 14 points and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards had 13 points in the 103-86 victory to improve to 2-0 and stay atop Group C.

After beating South Sudan by one point in an exhibition game on July 20, the United States was in control for the entirety of the contest, leading by as many as 22 points. The team, which shot 52.9% from the field, scored 26 points off 19 turnovers and held a 66-14 advantage in bench points.

With Adebayo, Durant and Edwards leading the way, the U.S. also got strong contributions from Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James scored (12 points), Suns guard Devin Booker (10 points, six assists) and Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (10 points).

Nuni Omot paced South Sudan with a game-high 24 points, while Carlik Jones scored 18 points and Bul Kuol added 16 points. The team dropped to 1-1 with one game left to play in the group phase on Saturday against Serbia. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals.

After clinching Group C, the Americans will wrap up the preliminary round on Saturday against Puerto Rico, who is 0-2. They open as 31.5-point favorites in that contest.

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Jayson Tatum, Team USA dispatch Khaman Maluach and South Sudan at the Olympics

In a battle of Duke basketball stars past and future, Jayson Tatum and Team USA battled past Khaman Maluach and South Sudan on Wednesday.

In a battle of Duke basketball stars, the elder statesman got the better of the incoming freshman on Wednesday.

[autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] and Team USA dispatched [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] and South Sudan in the second game of Olympic men’s basketball group play, winning 103-86.

Tatum, the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, is already making a strong case as the best men’s basketball player in Duke history at 26 years old. He won his first NBA title with the Boston Celtics earlier this summer, and a victory in Paris would give him his second Olympic gold medal.

After Tatum notably didn’t play in Team USA’s opening victory over Serbia, he finished with four points, five rebounds, and two assists on Wednesday.

While South Sudan didn’t get the better of the Americans on Wednesday, Maluach and his teammates recorded the country’s first win in Olympic history when they beat Puerto Rico in the opening game.

Maluach, one of four five-star signees in Duke’s 2024 recruiting class, didn’t score any points for his country on Wednesday after he tallied two points and two rebounds in the first game.

Tatum and Team USA locked up a place in the quarterfinals with the second group stage victory while Maluach and South Sudan will play Serbia on Saturday for second place in Group C. The top two teams from all three groups clinch a spot in the final eight with two other spots available for the top remaining teams.

Duke basketball preview event Countdown to Craziness set for October 4

Duke basketball fans will get their first look at Cooper Flagg and the 2024-25 roster during Countdown to Craziness, now set for October 4.

Countdown to Craziness, Duke basketball’s fall preview event for Blue Devils fans, finally has an official date.

The 2024-25 Duke basketball team will make its Cameron Indoor Stadium debut on October 4, the team announced on Wednesday.

The fan event, which starts at 7 p.m. Eastern time, will feature both the men’s and women’s basketball teams. That means the Cameron Crazies get their first look at [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag], [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag], and the incoming men’s basketball recruiting class while also getting introduced to five-star signees Arianna Roberson and Toby Fournier on the women’s team.

The main event of the evening will be Duke’s Blue-White scrimmage, the unofficial start of the 2024-25 season. The Duke basketball team will be divided into two squads and square off against each other for the first game action of the year.

Flagg appeared on The Brotherhood Podcast earlier this week and gave Duke fans a quick breakdown of his game, his all-time Blue Devils starting five, and more.