Colorado men's basketball lands NAIA Player of the Year Elijah Malone

The talented big man will finish his collegiate career with the Buffaloes

Jeff Nycz/Mid-South Images

Deion Sanders isn’t the only Colorado coach making noise via the transfer portal. Tad Boyle and the Colorado men’s basketball team received a commitment from former Grace College big man Elijah Malone on Monday.

🚨Elijah Malone. Good at Basketball!

Congrats to @GraceBasketball big man and NAIA Player of the Year, Elijah Malone, on signing to play for @CUBuffsMBB!!

Excited for Big E!! pic.twitter.com/U0Dlrdr56m

— NAIA Hoops Report (@NAIAHoopsReport) April 29, 2024

The 6-foot-10 center averaged 17.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game to lead the Lancers to a 34-2 record and berth in the NAIA Fab Four last season. Malone was first player from Grace College to receive the NAIA National Player of the Year award. He was also awarded the Clarence “Bevo” Francis Award this past season, presented annually to the best player among small college basketball divisions.

A product out of LaGrange, Ind., Malone started 117 games in four years at Grace College. During his time with the Lancers, he compiled 1,953 points, 1,017 rebounds and the school records in blocks (308) and field goal percentage (65.3%). Malone reportedly visited Indiana, Notre Dame, and Boise State, before landing at Colorado. He’ll have one year of eligibility remaining with the Buffaloes.

Three former Colorado players sign UDFA deals

Malone is the third transfer player to commit to Colorado this month joining forwards Trevor Baskin (Colorado Mesa) and Andrej Jakimovski (Washington State). The Buffaloes lost a total of four players to the portal – centers Eddie Lampkin Jr. and Joe Hurlburt and guards J’Vonne Hadley and Luke O’Brien.