Florida State secures the commitment of high-upside junior Alier Maluk

October 20, 2023 by Max Feldman

THE LEAD

Alier Maluk, a Top-70 prospect in 2025, has committed to Florida State. The Pennsylvania native, by way of South Sudan, chose the Noles over Oregon, Ohio State, Pitt and LSU.

BACKGROUND

Maluk becomes just the fourth 2025 Top-150 prospect to pull the trigger early on a commitment. The now 6-10 forward moved to Pennsylvania at three years old and has been on the radar since early in his high school career. After a few years at Imani Christian (PA), Maluk has made the move to national power LuHi (NY). Maluk's lone official visit was to Tallahassee two weeks ago, and the Noles sealed the deal swiftly.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Pulling the trigger on a commitment this early for a 2025 usually points towards there eventually being reclassification buzz. Maluk, the age of a 2024, could potentially join Top-80 wing AJ Swinton en route to FSU next year. In terms of others to monitor in the senior class, keep an eye on Khani Rooths, as the Noles were entrenched in the mix along with Georgia and Michigan for the IMG forward's services.

MY TAKE

The allure has been clear for sometime with Maluk as he's sprouted physicially. A hard-playing, 6-10 athlete with a massive wingspan and fluid movement ability. With all that, he's still in the early stages developmentally and is looking to carve out areas to hang his hat on, specifically in half-court offense. The weight room is key, as the 17-year-old forward is still wiry thin, but he's shown the willingness to fly around in transition and attack the rack with aggression. Few programs have brought more in prospects in a similar archetype as Leonard Hamilton and the Noles, as they've shown to be more than willing to bet on athletic, near seven-footers who move exceptionally well but still have room for plenty more development. A talented frontcourt prospect whose development should be closely monitored whenever he arrives in Tallahassee.

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