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BREAKING: FSU Basketball Lands Top Ranked JUCO Prospect Malique Ewin

Florida State and Leonard Hamilton land a big addition in their frontcourt

Austin Veazey

Panola’s Yaphet Moundi guards South Plains’ Malique Ewin during Monday’s NJCAA second-round game in Hutchinson, Kan.
Panola’s Yaphet Moundi guards South Plains’ Malique Ewin during Monday’s NJCAA second-round game in Hutchinson, Kan. / NJCAA

Florida State and Leonard Hamilton have landed their second transfer of the offseason, grabbing center Malique Ewin, the top-ranked junior college player in the country, per the official Florida State Basketball account. Ewin averaged 14.9 PPG and 9.0 RPG while leading South Plains College to a 32-3 record and had back-to-back games of 30+ points and 10+ rebounds in February.

Ewin started his career at Ole Miss with head coach Kermit Davis, but transferred after his freshman season to USF before re-entering the transfer portal a few months later and ending up in JUCO. He's a former consensus four-star recruit on 247sports and was seen as a future high-major starter.

Here was his scouting report coming out of high school from 247's Jerry Meyer: "Has solid length for a five-man. Strong physical build with good feet and hands. Not necessarily an explosive athlete but is mobile and has quality body control. Has limited shooting range but has touch from the inside. Is comfortable with the basketball all over the court. Executes the long outlet pass quite well. Rebounds at a high level. Controls space and can also chase down a rebound. Is a solid defender. Is capable of defending the rim and can adequately defend on the perimeter."

Ewin does turn it over too often, especially for a center, with 96 turnovers in 34 games this season, but did also have 92 blocks (with multiple games with 8 blocks) and 111 assists. He's a willing passer but needs to do a better job of taking care of the basketball.

Florida State has needed to replenish its roster after seeing six scholarship players transfer away from the program with a few others running out of eligibility. They've landed a transfer commitment from Hampton's Jerry Deng, a 6'9" sniper who shot 39.1% from 3 as a freshman last season, while adding high school signees AJ Swinton, Daquan Davis, and Christian Nitu. As of now, Ewin is FSU's lone center on the roster.

READ MORE: Star FSU Basketball Forward Jamir Watkins Declares For 2024 NBA Draft

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Austin Veazey
AUSTIN VEAZEY

Lead basketball writer; Former FSU Men's Basketball Manager from 2016-2019