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LitlBuck
Kevin Warren is an ass
Gene Brown lobbed the type of jab that only a teammate would take the right way.
Playing in the Kingdom Summer League Sunday, the second-year Ohio State guard was matched up against first-year counterpart Malaki Branham. With Brown’s team liberally deploying double teams and pressure, Branham saw Brown trying to jump him for a steal and passed the ball out of danger.
It earned Branham a four-letter word from Brown.
“He called me soft,” Branham said with a smile.
One possession later, Branham took a pass near the same spot in the backcourt, spun toward the middle and flew down the lane to slam home a thunderous, one-handed dunk with his right hand. It was the exclamation point on Branham's triple-double. He recorded 36 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a 145-141 loss.
“That next play next, I had to show him I’m not soft, so I dunked it,” Branham said. “It’s just cool, friendly competition.”
In the final week of the league's regular season, the blue team — featuring Buckeyes E.J. Liddell and Brown — needed to score a certain number of points and win the game in order to qualify for the playoffs. They ended up accomplishing this by keeping the game up-tempo with lots of full-court pressure.
It proved another lesson for Branham as he prepares for his first season with the Buckeyes.
“Malaki’s a really good player," Liddell said. "He’s been coming out here dropping 40-balls (in this league). Our coach told us not to let him drop one.”
Brown, in particular, took that personally. The two have been battling each other during practices this summer, and the second-year player said he was hoping for more opportunities to go at him one-on-one.
Meanwhile, Brown showed off some of his natural athleticism. He finished with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting and added at least three steals. Moments into the game, Brown threw down a dunk, then followed that up with a transition, pull-up three pointer a moment later. He had a steal-and-slam during the third quarter, picking the pocket of an opposing guard, and fed Liddell for an and-one during the fourth quarter.
Oh, and he blocked Branham once, too, on a pull-up jumper attempt.
“I love it,” Brown said of going against Branham. “He’s competitive. He doesn’t talk trash too much, but he’s gonna let you know he’s getting the job done. I like competing with him.”
Befitting a first-team All-Big Ten player, Liddell was borderline unstoppable whenever he got the ball on the block or in the paint. After putting off a chance at a professional career for a third year at Ohio State, Liddell was 9-for-16 from the floor and finished with 30 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks. He was 2-for-8 from three and 10-for-11 from the free-throw line.
“It was fun for a while and then I kind of got bored,” he said. “It was just lots and lots of shots, no defense really. It was fine getting a sweat out, out here playing with Gene.”
The game also gave Liddell another chance to work on his perimeter game. He said a primary goal for the night was to get comfortable in situations that have typically made him uncomfortable, citing step-back jumpers and growing his all-around game outside of the paint.
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LitlBuck
Kevin Warren is an ass
You don’t have to wonder too much about how Ohio State views Branham. The coaches being willing to help him wear Jim Jackson’s No. 22 jersey is a lens into their feelings.
Recently, he has caught some more attention by dropping 40 points in back-to-back Kingdom Summer League games.
“Really excited about Malaki and really excited about his growth and his future moving forward,” Holtmann said.
Branham will figure into Holtmann’s lineup right away. Even accounting for the addition of Russell through the portal, Duane Washington Jr. leaving for the NBA opened up more minutes for the true freshman. He’s a gifted scorer who should be able to impact winning immediately.
That said, Holtmann stressed he’s not a finished product by any means.
“He's young for his class, and he's still got a young frame. You can tell. He's got to get stronger. He's got to get more physical. I think his leg strength, his upper-body strength, all that has to take steps forward. But he's such a tremendous kid, and he's got really good size and length. His wingspan's about 6-9 at 6-4. His ball skills have continued to grow and improve.
“In high school, he kind of played all over, really, for their team. He'll play more of either guard or wing spot here primarily. But really excited about what he can be. I think he'll look like a freshman at times, and then he'll look like a guy who has a tremendous future at times. That's the natural development for young players.”
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...alaki-branham-jamari-wheeler-kyle-young-kalen
Recently, he has caught some more attention by dropping 40 points in back-to-back Kingdom Summer League games.
“Really excited about Malaki and really excited about his growth and his future moving forward,” Holtmann said.
Branham will figure into Holtmann’s lineup right away. Even accounting for the addition of Russell through the portal, Duane Washington Jr. leaving for the NBA opened up more minutes for the true freshman. He’s a gifted scorer who should be able to impact winning immediately.
That said, Holtmann stressed he’s not a finished product by any means.
“He's young for his class, and he's still got a young frame. You can tell. He's got to get stronger. He's got to get more physical. I think his leg strength, his upper-body strength, all that has to take steps forward. But he's such a tremendous kid, and he's got really good size and length. His wingspan's about 6-9 at 6-4. His ball skills have continued to grow and improve.
“In high school, he kind of played all over, really, for their team. He'll play more of either guard or wing spot here primarily. But really excited about what he can be. I think he'll look like a freshman at times, and then he'll look like a guy who has a tremendous future at times. That's the natural development for young players.”
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...alaki-branham-jamari-wheeler-kyle-young-kalen
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I don't know why but I keep picturing David Lighty when I think about him this season. If he plays with DLs fire he'll be a fan favorite
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LitlBuck
Kevin Warren is an ass
The rankings continue today with Malaki Branham
No. 8 – Malaki Branham
Position: Guard
Class: Freshman (first year)
Height/weight: 6 feet 5 / 180 pounds
Jersey number: 22
Major: Sport industry
Background on Malaki Branham
Originally from Columbus, Branham starred for Ridgeview Middle School before moving to Akron to live with his uncle, Lawrence, and attend Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary. There, he would put together a prolific career culminating with a second state title while being named Ohio Mr. Basketball as a senior in 2021. He scored 1,501 career points for the Irish and was also a finalist for Mr. Basketball as a junior.
Branham is the top Ohioan in his class, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings, a four-star prospect, the No. 37 player in the nation and the No. 7 combo guard. He’s the highest-rated recruit to sign with the Buckeyes since both DJ Carton was No. 34 in the 2019 class. Branham took an official visit to Ohio State during the weekend of Sept. 7, 2019 alongside Efton Reid while Charles Bediako was on hand for an unofficial visit. During the visit, Branham met with former Buckeyes Clark Kellogg, Jim Jackson, Jared Sullinger and others. He is the highest-rated Ohioan to sign to Ohio State since Jared Sullinger, the No. 4 national recruit according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings, in 2010.
“Ohio’s a terrific state, both in AAU and high school, for really good players,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said. “There are some years where it’s deeper or more talented. It’s cyclical. We understand that. When it has the depth and talent, that’s really important to us and obviously a guy like Malaki was really important.”
No. 8 – Malaki Branham
Position: Guard
Class: Freshman (first year)
Height/weight: 6 feet 5 / 180 pounds
Jersey number: 22
Major: Sport industry
Background on Malaki Branham
Originally from Columbus, Branham starred for Ridgeview Middle School before moving to Akron to live with his uncle, Lawrence, and attend Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary. There, he would put together a prolific career culminating with a second state title while being named Ohio Mr. Basketball as a senior in 2021. He scored 1,501 career points for the Irish and was also a finalist for Mr. Basketball as a junior.
Branham is the top Ohioan in his class, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings, a four-star prospect, the No. 37 player in the nation and the No. 7 combo guard. He’s the highest-rated recruit to sign with the Buckeyes since both DJ Carton was No. 34 in the 2019 class. Branham took an official visit to Ohio State during the weekend of Sept. 7, 2019 alongside Efton Reid while Charles Bediako was on hand for an unofficial visit. During the visit, Branham met with former Buckeyes Clark Kellogg, Jim Jackson, Jared Sullinger and others. He is the highest-rated Ohioan to sign to Ohio State since Jared Sullinger, the No. 4 national recruit according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings, in 2010.
“Ohio’s a terrific state, both in AAU and high school, for really good players,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said. “There are some years where it’s deeper or more talented. It’s cyclical. We understand that. When it has the depth and talent, that’s really important to us and obviously a guy like Malaki was really important.”
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LitlBuck
Kevin Warren is an ass
Holtmann said the 6-4 Branham has a 6-10 wingspan and that they’ve coached him hard during the early going because they see a high ceiling for him.
“He’s shown some real glimpses and flashes of being able to impact the game on both ends,” Holtmann said. “He’s shot it particularly well. His ball handling continues to grow and improve. I don’t know to start what (his role will) be, but I expect it to grow because talented kids like him usually, if they stay with it, their role grows.”
“He’s shown some real glimpses and flashes of being able to impact the game on both ends,” Holtmann said. “He’s shot it particularly well. His ball handling continues to grow and improve. I don’t know to start what (his role will) be, but I expect it to grow because talented kids like him usually, if they stay with it, their role grows.”
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LitlBuck
Kevin Warren is an ass
There’s a different sound to a basketball bouncing in an empty arena.
Malaki Branham knows. So does Jason Dawson, Branham's longtime trainer. And on Wednesday morning, three days before Christmas, the two tested out the acoustics of an otherwise empty Value City Arena for what has become a customary 5 a.m. workout. With the auxiliary lights casting dim lighting on the main court, the only interruption to an otherwise silent morning was the heating system, the squeaks of Branham’s scarlet and white Nikes and the pounding of the basketball on the hardwood.
It’s not the filled-to-the-rafters cacophony of sound Branham and his Ohio State teammates experienced less than a month ago as they took down No. 1 Duke, or the constant stream of chatter, whistles and shouting that comes with practice. It’s the sound of steady, hard work that Branham hopes will help him continue to elevate his game.
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LitlBuck
Kevin Warren is an ass
“Yeah, it definitely does (sound different), especially when my shoes squeak too, and it’s just the basketball, the rim, the net,” he told The Dispatch at the conclusion of his workout. “It just sounds very good, actually.”
After waking at 4:25 a.m. and eating a granola bar to avoid getting sick, Branham is on the court and stretching at 5:13. Wearing a pair of black Ohio State shorts and a black T-shirt with “BE BETTER. BE DIFFERENT.” written in white letters, Branham gets going with some dribbling and mid-range jumper drills with two Ohio State basketballs borrowed from the practice gym. There’s a heavy focus on getting Branham to the spots where he can be most successful for the Buckeyes. In most cases, the longer Branham progresses through a drill, the more consecutive shots start to go in.
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