The Duke coach was asked about Maliq Brown Wednesday afternoon at ACC Media Day in Charlotte.Brian Costello breaks down Aaron Rodgers’ Hail Mary against Bills| Jets Drive of the GameBrian Costello breaks down Aaron Rodgers’ Hail Mary against Bills| Jets Drive of the Game
Brown, of course, played two seasons at Syracuse before entering the transfer portal last spring and within a few weeks deciding on Duke. He told his hometown newspaper late last May that Duke had always been a dream destination.
“Since I started liking the game of basketball, playing in the ACC was my goal and Duke was my dream,” he told the Culpeper Star-Exponent. “So many greats have come through their program and they are still very connected to the game.”
The Blue Devils, who have the consensus No. 1 freshman in college basketball in Cooper Flagg, will be a Top 10 team to start the season.
“He’s been terrific for us, man,” Scheyer said of Brown during a portion of media day televised on the ACC Network. “Somebody should ask these guys (Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster) if they like trying to score on him. We track deflections. His deflections are off the charts more than any player I’ve ever coached in terms of his activity on the ball and off the ball.
“Great versatility. Really, just whatever you ask him to do, a great competitor but such a great teammate. Selfless. Doesn’t care about his own stats, probably to a fault.
That would be my biggest thing with him – he can be even more aggressive, right? That’s what we talk to him about. But his versatility, his ability to play multiple spots in the frontcourt and the last thing is how smart he is. He’s a great passer, natural feel for the game. I’ve loved coaching him.”
All those characteristics sound remarkably like the Maliq Brown that played at Syracuse, down to his coaches’ belief that he could do even more.
Brown, Scheyer recalled, scored 26 points and hauled in seven rebounds when the Orange men were overwhelmed 88-66 at Duke last season. Scheyer would be thrilled, he said, if Brown could produce numbers like that in a Duke uniform.
Foster was asked to assess Brown as a defender and described him this way:
“Maliq is one of the best defenders I’ve ever played against. His activity on and off the ball is just unmatched. I think he has the chance to be the best defender in college basketball this year.”
Scheyer undoubtedly has fielded considerable questions about Flagg, who comes to the ACC with tremendous hype. Foster returns after a season cut short by injury last year, and newcomers Khaman Maluach and Kon Knueppel are young players of interest. So is Mason Gillis, the grad student who played at Purdue last season.
It’s easy to see how a player like Brown, who is more substance than style, might get lost in the conversation.
“I’m glad you asked about Maliq,” Scheyer said. “I haven’t been asked about him as much.”
Brown will wear No. 6 this season; the No. 1 he wore at Syracuse belongs to Foster.
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