Scarlet Sunrise: Malaki Branham receives invite to attend NBA Draft

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Malaki Branham receives invite to attend NBA Draft

Malaki Branham has been rising up draft boards since the middle of last season at Ohio State.

The folks running the draft believe he’ll be among the first picks taken when the NBA Draft comes around in just 10 days. Branham is one of 16 players invited to attend the NBA Draft, which will take place June 23 inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Branham averaged 13.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game during his lone season with the Buckeyes, showing he is ready for the next level.

He has obviously proven that to folks around the NBA, and that’s why he was invited to attend the draft, where he shouldn’t have to wait too long to hear his name called.

Ohio State extends offers to pair of talented running backs

Ohio State continued its busy recruiting month on Monday by offering a pair of fast-rising running backs.

Tony Alford and the Buckeyes offered Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep 2024 running back Davion Gause and Lynchburg (Va.) Liberty Christian Academy 2025 running back Gideon Davidson.

Gause is a four-star prospect ranked No. 173 nationally in the 2024 On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Gause’s offer list is impressive — including schools like Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami and Texas A&M in addition to Ohio State.

Looking a bit further to the future, the Buckeyes offered 2025 Virginia running back Gideon Davidson. Davidson, whose class has not yet been rated, is beginning to pick up major offers. In addition to Ohio State, offers include: Georgia, Penn State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Virginia, South Carolina, Louisville and Wake Forest.

ICYMI: In-state 2025 quarterback prospect taking process slowly

Amid all the chaos that is a budding recruiting process, Findlay (Ohio) standout quarterback Ryan Montgomery is getting used to it all — and keeping free time to still just be a sophomore in high school, and not just a coveted recruit.

Montgomery, from the class of 2025, will take a southern road trip with his dad from June 16-20. He’ll visit Virginia, North Carolina, Clemson, Georgia and Tennessee during that week, just days after playing in a 7-on-7 tournament at Ohio State.

Montgomery is making sure to check out every school he can. There’s no reason to limit his options right now, especially given how young he is.

Of course, Ryan Montgomery’s brother Luke is helping recruit a special 2023 class in that cycle for Ohio State. He is already locked into a Buckeyes pledge, and he’s trying to push Ryan to make the same decision early in the process.

READ: Fast-rising 2025 quarterback Ryan Montgomery taking time in recruiting process

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