Maliq Brown to Duke

[djcon57]

is our fanbase going to transition to being more interested in football? Honest question! Like yes we have a couple very good recruits coming in for basketball next year, but like we aren’t making splashes in the portal that will grab the interest of the casual fan or hell even me the rabid fan (until proven otherwise). Our portal transfers to date have all been backups or bench players. Give me the proven players from G5 programs all day. Give me the Dalton Knecht players from northern colorado, or dj burns from Winthrop. Sick of us grabbing the big programs crumbs.

Also, thank god we got Fran brown. Imagine if we had this BS going down in bball and another boring recruiting year with football. That would be rough.

Fran Brown is currently 0-0

(...and I love me some Coach Fran...but..)

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Browns a nice 6th 7th man
. A situational stud.
He's undersized and can't defend good 5s.
He isn't a threat on O.
Great defender that lacks Size for the 5 position and offensive skills for the 4.
I was hoping Freeman could play the 3 and Brown the 4 but then Bell would be odd man out.
Kid wanted to start at forward and with Bell and Brown that wasn’t going to happen.
So now we have 3 scores at the
2, 3, 4. A solid backup at the 5 and Chance who can play three positions. 1,2,3. Pretty solid core.
Add a pg, solid 5, and we've got a team. If possible add another forward.
Brown was the odd man out at the forward position and he knows his shot is at the 4..that's my two cents.

Agreed, He's a really really good role player who anyone would want on their team but he's not Freeman. Sure you would love to have both but such is life in modern day college hoops

 

[Cstate]

All due respect, but this has to rank as one of the most delusional attempts at rationalization, in the history of this forum.
Simply put Maliq Brown was far and away the best player on the team- most definitely the best frontcourt player we had. His loss is huge, not just for the player he is right now, but for what he likely will become... somewhere else, moving forward.
As for the incoming 5-star frosh replacement, if I had a nickel for every poster who's declared "once (fill-in-the-blank) gets here, we can simply slot him in that starting spot, and he'll step right in", I'd be a mega millionaire!
There's absolutely no guarantee that the next kid will be as good as Maliq already showed he was. We can hope, but it's never a given.
No doubt about it... this one hurts.

We have to have some of the absolute worst track record recently about our “5-stars” it’s not even funny! All we heard for the last 3 years was “Benny will figure it out, after all he was a 5-star!” And then last off season it was “who cares about losing Girard, we got a former 5-star Burger Boy, best back court in the country!”

But now here we go again…..talking about another teenagers potential!

 

[Mr. M]

I’m surprised Maliq came out earlier and said he was staying.

I’ve been saying this for weeks - Donnie and Maliq are both starters on next years team. If that was the case, we’d still get killed in the paint and on the boards. They’re both best suited as 4s. Neither can play the 3. Red knows he needs size in the portal

Whoever wants a prototype big bodied 5, our best chance to get one was having Maliq (or Donnie) not be here next year.

Maliq isn’t coming off the bench, Donnie isn’t coming off the bench, and a legit center from the portal also isn’t coming off the bench.

Not sure what people expected

I hoped for Donnie and Maliq to focus on perimeter game and 3 pt shooting all offseason and be the starting forwards next to a high caliber 5 transfer. If all that meant we lose Bell I was ok with that.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Ignoring the Center position bit us again.

We have a 7-2, 230# kid on the team who redshirted last year. And a 7-4 260# who played.

And the portal's only been open for a few weeks.

Now if Maliq doesn't want to start at the 5, and he doesn't think he can beat out Freeman at the 4, then we don't really have a center issue.

We have a "Maliq not being happy with his role issue". Or a "bag" issue. Probably a little of both.

 

[UpstateSM]

I heard this was a possibility last week. Was going to go online with it and decided better not to. I am not sure he will leave. I hope he stays. Getting three guys in the portal is no easy chore. But he can be replaced. Thank God for Freeman.

I don't think Freeman is Benny but we said "Thank God for Benny" the last time we had a portal exodus and a five star coming in.

 

[Brooky03]

Wouldn't say we ignored it. We lost our center on some NIL bs then got a C+ portal pickup. Half the roster was C just no one panning out

I’m taking Brown’s decision as an indicator the coach’s weren’t prioritizing a Center transfer.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Consider me in the camp who believes we do have NIL for hoops, and that they are being selective and not trying to overspend on guys.

They will spend based on talent and need.

Elliot Cadeau for example. Talent but shooting is bad. They might approach him but won't overpay for him, if that makes sense. There is a limit for every prospect.

Please, no.

 

[Brooky03]

We have a 7-2, 230# kid on the team who redshirted last year. And a 7-4 260# who played.

And the portal's only been open for a few weeks.

Now if Maliq doesn't want to start at the 5, and he doesn't think he can beat out Freeman at the 4, then we don't really have a center issue.

We have a "Maliq not being happy with his role issue". Or a "bag" issue. Probably a little of both.

A 7’4” guy who can’t move or do basketball things. And a Center who wasn’t capable enough as a freshman to get minutes over not-Centers playing Center, on a team of underclassmen.

I don’t know Brown’s motivations. I’m guessing. Until proven otherwise, my guess is that the staff told him he might play Center again, which, imo, is egregious.

 

[djcon57]

Sounds like "Maliq doesn't think he can beat out Freeman" is the new "Quincy doesn't think he can beat out Jimmy"

Got it.

MAYBE...MAYBE...Maliq knows BS basically has a job on this team due to Freeman and knows Freeman will get many more opportunities to fail at PF than MB will. Not suggesting Freeman won't be 10x better than Maliq. Just saying its not an simple as "he doesn't think he can beat Freeman".

 

[orangecuse]

With Freeman incoming, there was a log jam at the 4 and Brown didn't want to play the 5. Doesn't have anything to do with $$$.

Weak arse kids young adults nowadays. Back in the day, a two year player who has seen significant minutes as he has would be "bring it on" dude you ain't besting me. Nowadays, "when the going gets tough" Gen Z and the like simply take the easy way out and the path of least resistance...all day long...everyday...24/7.

 

[two3zone]

That’s my bet. Clemson.

My initial thoughts as well, he was a guy for us that you could’ve plugged into their front court and he would thrive.

 

[Day2]

I understand the issues he may have between playing center and a McD's coming in at the 4, but those same issues existed a few weeks ago when he told Donna he was returning. So what changed?

Perhaps Mintz is coming back after all. (I’ll believe it when I see it.)

 

[Sbucketball]

I don't think Freeman is Benny but we said "Thank God for Benny" the last time we had a portal exodus and a five star coming in.

This is why I'm extremely wary of assuming Donnie will be better than Maliq at PF next year. It's not a given that a 5-star Freshman outperforms an All ACC defender Junior, and that's coming from someone who is very high on Donnie.

 

[orangenauburn]

Perhaps Mintz is coming back after all. (I’ll believe it when I see it.)

Wouldn't that be something

 

[atlanticuse]

I’m sad about Maliq. I had no idea who he was coming out of high school, but loved watching him the past two years.
But he got bullied underneath, and needs a better supporting cast…
… for the whole team to win.
We were 17-15 and 20*-12, with zero NCAAT games.
We got blown out regularly like I’ve never seen before.
But this is a shot across the bow at Red. Maybe so was Jesse, and look how that worked for him at WVU.
If we can’t retain or build 1-2 year teams - which is the new world - then we’re in major trouble.

 

[DanielA]

I'm definitely overthinking this, but the emoji with the hand over the face to me screams disappointment.

x.com

x.com

Disappointed in himself for flunking out

 

[hplare]

Absurd to think he and Freeman couldn't start together. Just get a damn center and maybe for once in a long time we'd play big. Clemson plays two big forwards with Hall most of the time. Yes, Bell would have to sub in at forward and spell as the shooting guard, but he'd get plenty of minutes. It's probably too late now, but it's a terrible shame. And can't help but wonder if Gmac's leaving might have figured in.

 

[pearl31]

I’m taking Brown’s decision as an indicator the coach’s weren’t prioritizing a Center transfer.

lol
It would arguably make more sense to say that bringing in a top-level center by now would have even hastened Maliq's decision, as then he'd be behind both the starting 4 and starting 5

 

[Jzsshuttles]

No, he won’t have a press conference to address the concerns of this forum.

yeah that's totally where I was going with that post..really dude?

 

[albanycuse]

Wow this really blows, but why would they want him at C. He’s underzised and playing out of position. He isn’t able to play to his strengths at Center. What a joke.

 

[two3zone]

And not even playing his actual position!

If Chris Bell won us two or three games how many god damn wins was Maliq Brown responsible for? Only player on the team with a top-500 rebounding rate, 7th nationally in 2P % and 7-18 from deep shows you he can extend. And an all league defender. Cmon.

If he was the only guy coming back I would’ve been ok with it.

 

[Cusesky8214]

That would tell you wrong then. Maybe he didn't like the circus he played with this year. Maybe right now, he thinks the grass must be greener. Plus, he doesn't wnat to play the 5.

Well he shared this post from the circus you mention...so idk if that's the case.

 

[orangezen]

Last year we had a fractured team that never coalesced. Exactly the opposite of NC State. And it’s continuing to fall apart. I hope we can recover but I fear we can’t.

 

[CuseCPT]

No, he won’t have a press conference to address the concerns of this forum.

Our last coach addressed individual forum posters by name, so you can't really fault him for asking.