Evaluation: What Syracuse is Getting in Maliq Brown

The Orange picked up a class of 2022 power forward on Saturday.

Mike McAllister | Oct 16, 2021

Evaluation: What Syracuse is Getting in Maliq Brown /

Syracuse basketball picked up a commitment from 2022 power forward Maliq Brown on Saturday. What is the Orange getting in Brown? The 6-9, 210 pounder is a physical interior presence who plays with a lot of energy. He is the prototypical hustle player that every good team needs. Length and strength is the name of his game.

Brown is just a good basketball player who rebounds well, plays good defense and can finish inside. He is a very smart defensive player who has the wingspan to cover a lot of space from the wing to the basket. Also, in high school, he is used in press defense a lot. When Syracuse gets in situation where it needs to press, Brown can be an asset either defending the inbounder and then trapping, or plays back to cover the secondary player.

Offensively, he moves well without the ball and can get into position for a guard to drop the ball off to him to finish. He has good hands and efficient finisher. Brown also sets screens very well and can roll off of them. In transition, Brown can run the floor to provide another finishing option. To take his game to the next level, gaining consistency on a mid-range jumper would do wonders. That is an area he has continuously worked on, even extending out to the three point line on occasion.

Brown is a nice get for Syracuse. A very good athlete who started out as a 6-4 quarterback/wide receiver on the football team, and developed into a 6-9 basketball first power forward. He should provide energy, grit and hustle right away with the potential to develop into an impactful physical presence on both ends.

Published Oct 16, 2021

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.