Top 25 Alier Maluk opens up on his recruitment and process
Alier Maluk is the No. 21 player in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking. The 6-foot-10 sophomore forward averaged 15.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks this season at Pittsburgh (PA) Imani Christian. He will be with the Team Durant program this summer on the Nike EYBL 16u Circuit.
“I’m very versatile at my size, able to rebound, block shots, and get downhill,” Maluk told On3. “I can create for others and myself. I’ve gotten stronger, rebounding the ball and off the dribble. It’s also helped in the paint with my post-ups. I watch a lot of Joel Embiid, how he is nifty with his post-ups, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, how he gets downhill and uses his euro.”
On3 caught up with Alier Maluk after a recent live viewing at the CBG Grassroots Tip-Off to talk recruitment.
Maluk talks recruitment
“Right now, I have offers from Oregon, Pitt, LSU, Seton Hall, West Virginia, Ohio State, and Auburn,” Maluk said. “I’ve been to a couple of Pittsburgh games. I saw Michigan State play Ohio State, and I went to West Virginia when they played Kansas. I want to try and set something up to go see Oregon.”
Pittsburgh: “It’s 15 minutes from my house, so going there and just being at the house stood out to me. I enjoy watching their games. The ACC is a very good conference. They like how versatile I am, and they believe I can make it to the NBA one day.”
Ohio State: “LeBron (James) has put a lot of money into that campus, and you can see that. It’s good to see how homegrown that program is. They have a beautiful campus and a great hoop culture there. I think I can play as a stretch four in their system, with my versatility and how I can shoot the ball.”
West Virginia: “Watching them play, I saw how their bigs get to run the floor and shoot the ball. That stood out to me. The campus there is beautiful; it’s the best campus I’ve been to so far.”
Oregon: “I want to get out to the west coast and see them. Dana Altman is a great coach, and my cousin, Bol Bol, was out there and liked it. We have similar types of games.”
“Kentucky could be close to offering,” Maluk said. “Maybe in the summertime.”
In his words
“I didn’t really grow up liking a team or a player like that,” Maluk said. “But just now, during March Madness, I really enjoyed watching Alabama play and Brandon Miller.
“I’m looking for development. I want to go to a coach and play in a program that is going to get me league-ready. My game is versatile, so the style of play won’t matter as much, as long as there is trust with the coach and there is the freedom to play my game.”