Syracuse Basketball: Maliq Brown going to have breakout sophomore year

I envision Syracuse basketball big man Maliq Brown doing a lot of positive things on both ends of the court for the Orange in the upcoming 2023-24 season, which begins on Monday, Nov. 6, when the ‘Cuse hosts New Hampshire at the JMA Wireless Dome.

The 6-foot-8, 222-pound Brown, who is from Culpeper, Va., was part of an excellent six-member 2022 recruiting class for Syracuse basketball. Brown primarily suits up at power forward, but some media reports have indicated that he could see time at the center spot as well in 2023-24.

Maliq Brown is a physical player who shines in the paint on both offense and defense. I expect him to be among the leaders for the ‘Cuse this coming term in the rebounding department. He also shoots the ball at a really high clip.

First-year head coach Adrian Autry has a 2023-24 roster that boasts tons of athleticism, depth and versatility. It will prove interesting to watch how Autry divides up the minutes, but I do think that Brown will be one of the first reserves off of the bench, whether playing forward or center.

Syracuse basketball sophomore big man Maliq Brown is an imposing, talented player.

Brown was an underrated prospect on a national scale in the 2022 cycle, with a couple of recruiting services ranking him as three stars and a top-250 overall player in this class.

That being said, he had a tremendous senior year at the Blue Ridge School in St. George, Va. His squad amassed a 30-5 overall mark, captured the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II championship, and Brown collected multiple player of the year honors for his play.

In 2021-22, per MaxPreps, Maliq Brown averaged 15.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per contest for the Blue Ridge School, while connecting on 68 percent from the field.

When the Orange went 17-15 overall in 2022-23, as a freshman under then-head coach Jim Boeheim, Brown appeared in 29 games, averaging 20.2 minutes, 5.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per affair. As a freshman, he hit on 69.8 percent from the field and 56.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Autry, in his recent press conference during the ‘Cuse annual media day, touched on a variety of his 2023-24 players. He said that Brown is doing a great job in preseason practices understanding what he needs to do, and what his role will be for Syracuse basketball this coming stanza.

In Autry’s recent chat with college basketball insider Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, the Orange head coach said in part, “Maliq has added some weight and his game is really starting to round out a bit.”

"When recently asked by Brett Gustin of The Juice Online what it has been like to work under new head coach Autry, Maliq Brown said, “Practice this year has been more intense. We have more depth this year, especially with the pieces we added with transfers. Just knowing how it has been so far this summer, I feel like this team can take another step we have not seen yet. With our workouts and the past few weeks, I feel like we could be something special.”"

I concur. Not only do I feel that Syracuse basketball will be special in 2023-24, but also that Brown himself is poised for a stellar sophomore stint.