Elite international college basketball prospect makes college choice. It wasn’t Kentucky.
The choice is in from elite international basketball prospect Khaman Maluach.
And he won’t be coming to Kentucky.
Maluach — a 7-foot-2 center prospect from the NBA Academy Africa — announced his commitment to Duke on Wednesday, turning down the opportunity to play at Kentucky, among other schools.
“Duke is home, that’s where I belong,” Maluach told ESPN. “This was the hardest decision I’ve ever made. I felt like I could succeed anywhere, but I was most comfortable going to Duke.”
Maluach, who was born in South Sudan before rising to prominence at the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal, is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 6 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class.
He’s another five-star recruit set to join the Blue Devils for the 2024-25 season.
Considered an inside-out big with the ability to make shots from beyond the 3-point line, Maluach’s main calling card remains the ability to be an effective post player with a massive wingspan (7-foot-6). Maluach is viewed as a difference maker at both ends of the court.
His decision to go to Duke came after a flurry of recent recruiting activity.
Maluach took an official visit to Duke in January and also visited Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA and the NBA’s professional G League Ignite program in February. He also had an offer to join the Australian NBL’s Next Stars program.
As part of Maluach’s official visit in Lexington, he attended Kentucky’s home win over Ole Miss on Feb. 13.
Prior to that game, Maluach sat on the Kentucky bench and talked with several current Wildcats, including freshman Aaron Bradshaw and sophomore Ugonna Onyenso, who spent time at the NBA Academy Africa before coming to UK.
Khaman Maluach is expected to make a day one impact at Duke
Maluach has consistently been a top performer during stateside showcase events such as February’s Basketball Without Borders Global Camp, which was held as part of the NBA’s All-Star Week festivities in Indiana.
He decided to reclassify to the 2024 recruiting group in the fall, and Maluach is eligible for the 2025 NBA draft. Maluach is already being discussed as a potential top-five selection in that draft.
The 17-year-old also boasts top-level international basketball experience, having played for his native South Sudan at the FIBA World Cup last year. During that competition, Maluach averaged a little more than 10 minutes and almost four rebounds per contest across four games.
Maluach, who boasts a 9-foot-8 standing reach, also helped South Sudan qualify for this summer’s Paris Olympics.
In joining the Blue Devils, Maluach will be part of an absolutely stacked recruiting class: Duke’s other first-year players for next season will include small forwards Isaiah Evans, Cooper Flagg, Darren Harris and Kon Knueppel, along with center Patrick Ngongba II.
Both Maluach and Ngongba strongly considered UK in their recruitments.
With the addition of Maluach, Duke has also secured the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for 2024.
Kentucky’s 2024 recruiting class remains comprised of five players: Guards Boogie Fland and Travis Perry, wing Billy Richmond and centers Somto Cyril and Jayden Quaintance.
Richmond, who committed to UK in December, is the only one of these players yet to sign with the Wildcats. Richmond must wait until at least April to sign his national letter of intent with UK.
This story was originally published March 6, 2024 at 1:30 PM.
