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Maliq Brown never considered leaving Syracuse. But once everything around him began changing, he felt it was necessary.

Jim Boeheim’s retirement after Brown’s freshman season was the first shakeup. Still, the other five players in Brown’s recruiting class — Judah Mintz, Quadir Copeland, Chris Bell, Justin Taylor and Peter Carey — remained with the program.

After his sophomore year, however, there was no continuity. Copeland and Taylor entered the transfer portal five days after the Orange’s season ended. Just over a week later, Carey followed. Two days later, assistant coach Gerry McNamara — Brown’s primary recruiter — became Siena’s head coach. Meanwhile, Mintz mulled over his future before leaving for the NBA.

“The dynamics changed, and once everything changed, he felt like he was starting all over,” Brown’s mother, Tasha, said. “So he said, ‘If I’m gonna start all over, why not bet on myself? Why not take a chance just to see what else could be out there?’”

This prompted Brown to enter the portal on April 1. The forward became one of the most sought-after players in college basketball, garnering 64 offers, per his father Preston. This culminated in Brown’s commitment to Duke, where he’s become an unsung hero toward trying to capture the program’s sixth NCAA Championship.

On Wednesday, Brown returns to central New York when Syracuse (10-12, 4-7 Atlantic Coast) hosts the No. 2-ranked Blue Devils (19-2, 11-0 Atlantic Coast).

Maliq Brown has become a staple of Duke’s defense, which is the third-best defense in the country, according to KenPom’s defensive rating. Photo courtesy of @van.can.cam on Instagram

Brown became one of over 1,900 players to enter the portal after the 2023-24 campaign, an NCAA record. Alongside Brown, Taylor, Copeland and Carey, the Orange also had Mounir Hima, William Patterson and the dismissed Benny Williams enter the portal.

“When he wanted to go into the portal, we were very disappointed,” SU head coach Adrian Autry said. “We wanted him here. We wanted to have him be a part of this program and build with him in this program. But this is the age that we live in. Everyone has decisions to make and that was the decision he chose to make.”

Meanwhile, Duke also had seven players enter the portal, headlined by Jeremy Roach, Mark Mitchell and Sean Stewart. It was the most players the Blue Devils saw hit the portal since three departed in 2021.

Because Duke didn’t frequently have players leave in the portal and replenished yearly with top recruiting classes, its biggest prior portal additions were veteran big men Ryan Young (2022) and Theo John (2021). But that approach changed following an upset loss to NC State in the Elite Eight.

Immediately after Brown entered the portal, teams from “just about” all power conferences reached out, Tasha said. Duke wasn’t among the first teams but quickly expressed interest, initially reaching out to him on social media.

From there, discussions progressed to Zoom, leading to Brown’s on-campus visit from April 17-19. Though Brown, known for his stoic personality, didn’t outwardly say he wanted to commit to Duke on the visit, Preston knew from his face it was where he wanted to be.

“Duke was one of Maliq’s dream schools,” Preston said. “So it would kind of tickle when Duke reached out. He had a lot of schools reaching out, but he had no potential of thinking Duke was gonna call.”

As an overlooked three-star high school recruit, it would’ve been far-fetched for Brown to land in Durham. Though Tara says Brown and his coaches felt he should’ve been a bigger name, he didn’t receive offers from teams in college basketball’s upper echelon.

Heading into his freshman year in 2022, the forward was focused on earning a role on Syracuse’s roster. After playing sparsely to begin the season, he broke out with a double-double against Virginia Tech on Jan. 11, 2023. From there, Brown closed the year as a key piece, becoming the Orange’s “glue guy.”

While Autry took over for Boeheim the following season, Brown remained in that role. SU’s rotation also stayed mostly the same, with the biggest difference being J.J. Starling and Naheem McLeod stepping in for Joe Girard III and Jesse Edwards. However, when McLeod suffered a season-ending injury 14 games into the season, SU needed Brown to fill a larger role.

Without a backup center, the Orange had Brown, a 6-foot-8 forward, slide in as their starting center. He became the guy. And he thrived.

“He had no intention of entering the portal, honestly,” Tasha said. “Syracuse, once they embraced him, he loved it.”

While starting the Orange’s final 18 games, he averaged 34.3 minutes, 9.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Though not the gaudiest numbers, Brown’s efficiency stood out. The forward’s 71.3% effective field goal percentage was the third-best in the country, while his 4.12% steal percentage was the best in the ACC.

His skill set was best on display against NC State on Feb. 7, 2024, notching 11 points, nine rebounds, six blocks, five assists and five steals. Brown became the third player in college basketball to have a “five by game” in the last 15 years. Had he stayed at SU, Brown was on his way toward becoming a focal point of its offense while still thriving doing the little things.

“If he was there this year, I thought he was going to come into his own,” James Thompson, one of Brown’s trainers, said. “I thought he was on a trajectory of going up, up, up, up, up.”

Originally, staying at SU was always the plan. Brown’s recruiting class had a tight bond, and Copeland, who was Brown’s roommate, said they never talked about leaving.

“We definitely always had that thought, staying four years, but when better opportunities come from other people, everybody’s gotta make the best decisions for yourself, and that’s how we look at it,” Copeland said.

For Brown, the best decision was accepting a lower role on a title-contending team. Across just 17.8 minutes per game this season, he’s averaging 2.4 points and 4.4 rebounds. But that’s not why the Blue Devils brought him in.

Brown’s efficiency (64.8% eFG%) and defensive versatility (5.2% steal percentage, again the highest in the ACC) make him a perfect complement in Duke’s frontcourt to 2025’s likely No. 1 NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg and five-star freshman Khaman Maluach.

“The thing that’s impressed me the most is his feel,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said of Brown. “He’s got great feel for the game on both ends.”

Maliq Brown averaged 7.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals across 61 games at Syracuse from 2022-24. Ryan Jermyn | Staff Photographer

Though he missed four games with an injury, the forward returned to Duke’s lineup versus North Carolina on Saturday. Instantly, Brown summed up why he’ll be crucial toward a Blue Devils March Madness run.

As UNC forward Jalen Washington set a screen for guard RJ Davis at the top of the key off the ball, Brown cut Davis’ lane to the rim, allowing Tyrese Proctor to recover defensively. As a result, the ball was kicked to Washington. After a pump fake, Brown poked the ball out of his hands and into the air before corralling it.

Instantly, Brown passed to Proctor in transition. The guard then skipped a pass to Flagg, who converted on an and-one. This gave Duke an 18-6 lead, propelling it to its 11th straight conference win.

That play defined Brown’s value to the Blue Devils. He doesn’t need to do anything flashy, just the dirty work. While Brown never envisioned leaving SU, betting on himself has played out perfectly, starring in a role he’s built for while chasing a National Championship.

Published on February 3, 2025 at 11:12 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon