Malaki Branham - Men's Basketball - Ohio State Buckeyes
#22

Malaki Branham

Guard

Player profile

  • Height 6-5
  • Weight 180
  • Year Fr.
  • Hometown Columbus, Ohio
  • H.S./Last School St. Vincent-St. Mary’s

CAREER HONORS

  • Kyle Macy Award winner, presented annually to the top DI freshman
  • Kyle Macy Award Freshman All-America Team
  • Big Ten Freshman of the Year
  • Third team All-Big Ten as well as All-Freshman Team
  • Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times

FRESHMAN SEASON (2021-22)

  • Eighth Buckeye to be named the conference’s Freshman of the Year
  • First Buckeye freshman to earn All-Big Ten honors since D’Angelo Russell in 2015
  • Averaged 13.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while starting 31 of the 32 games
  • Shot 49.8 percent from the floor and was second in the Big Ten in free throw percentage at 83.3 percent
  • Scored in double figures in each of the last 11 games and averaged over 19 points per game over that stretch
  • Had seven points in his collegiate debut and assisted on the game-winning buzzer-beater against Akron (11/9)
  • Set an OSU freshman record for points in a Big Ten game, scoring 35 points in the overtime win at Nebraska (1/2). Tied an OSU freshman record by going 6-of-10 from long range vs. the Huskers
  • Scored 24 points on 13-of-14 from the free throw line and also dished-out five assists vs. Northwestern (1/9)
  • Sparked a 2nd half comeback that saw OSU erase a 20-point deficit at No. 6 Purdue (1/30) as he scored 11 of his team-high tying 20 points after halftime
  • Took over down the stretch in the overtime win over Indiana (2/21), scoring a team-high 27 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing-out three assists
  • Was sensational in the win at No. 15 Illinois (2/24) as he scored a game-high 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting
  • Had a season-high four steals and was 5-of-7 shooting for 14 points in his first NCAA Tournament game vs. Loyola Chicago (3/18)
  • Scored a game-high 23 points vs. Villanova in the second round of the NCAA Tournament

Prior to Ohio State

  • Top 100 Recruit by ESPN … ranked No. 32 in the 2021 class
  • Named Ohio’s Mr. Basketball as a senior in 2021, becoming the first SVSM player since LeBron James to win the award
  • Selected to the 2021 Jordan Brand Classic, which wasn’t played due to Covid 19
  • Two-time first team All-Ohio honoree
  • Two-time state champion (2018, 2021) who scored 1,501 career points at SVSM
  • As a senior, he led St. Vincent-St. Mary to a 25-2 record and a ninth Division II state championship, averaging 21.3 points per game, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals.
  • In the 2021 title game vs. Columbus St. Francis DeSales, he scored a game-high 37 points.
  • Led SVSM to the DII state title in 2018 as a freshman and then the Irish lost in the DI state title game during his sophomore season