Syracuse Basketball: Versatile big man Maliq Brown to enter portal - this one hurts

Sophomore big man Maliq Brown, who was arguably the most important player on the Syracuse basketball roster this past season due to his versatility in the front court, plans to enter the transfer portal, according to a media report.

This news really stings for the Orange, which has already lost several other players from the team's 2023-24 roster to the transfer portal.

The decision by the 6-foot-8, 222-pound Brown, a power forward/center out of Culpeper, Va., to hit the portal was first disclosed by On3 national reporter Joe Tipton.

Naturally, I'm wishing Maliq nothing but success moving forward. I have to say, though, I'm at least a tad surprised that he is planning to enter the portal.

The current transfer-portal cycle, by the way, opened on Monday, March 18, and it will run for 45 days. Those 'Cuse 2023-24 players who have entered the portal, beyond Brown, are sophomore center Peter Carey, sophomore guard/wing Quadir Copeland, sophomore guard/wing Justin Taylor and junior forward Benny Williams.

Sophomore Maliq Brown plans to enter the transfer portal, a huge loss for Syracuse basketball.

During the 2023-24 stanza, when the Orange won 20 regular-season games for the first time in a decade but failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, Brown was terrific.

Although he's more of a power forward, Brown became the squad's starting center after junior Naheem McLeod went down with a season-ending injury. McLeod appeared in 14 games.

Brown, meanwhile, appeared in all 32 games for the 'Cuse (20-12 overall) in 2023-24. He averaged 29.6 minutes, 9.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.2 steals per contest, while connecting on 69.8 percent from the field, 36.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 72.1 percent from the free-throw line, according to ESPN data.

Brown, deservingly so, was named to the All-ACC defensive team for the 2023-24 season. His versatility in being able to play at both power forward and center will be missed by the Syracuse basketball program moving forward. He also has shown that he can stuff the stat sheet and impact the game in many, many ways.

As I noted in a column a few days ago, the Orange's 2024-25 roster is going to look quite different, with at least five guys planning to transfer out. Scholarships are available, and 'Cuse coaches have reached out to at least six college transfers since the portal opened.

Landing an experienced big man, a veteran point guard and possibly a wing player could prove the Orange's biggest needs via the portal this off-season. Regarding Brown, while his departure is rough, Syracuse basketball does bring in another stellar power forward ahead of next season, and he is 2024 five-star, top-10 national prospect Donnie Freeman from Washington, D.C.