Buckeye hoops target Malaki Branham goes off for 42 points

With a couple of in-state commitments already, much of Chris Holtmann and Ohio State's focus in the 2021 class right now is on Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary star Malaki Branham. The 6-foot-5, wing prospect turned in an impressive performance on Saturday at the Flyin' to the Hoop Invitational in Kettering (Ohio). Branham dropped 42 points in a big showdown against Trotwood-Madison.

Branham and the Fighting Irish came away with a 100-78 win.

"It felt good (scoring 42)," Branham said after the game. "But I'm just glad we got the W."

St. Vincent-St. Mary is once again a state title favorite in Ohio and Branham's play has been a driving force in the success the Fighting Irish are once again having this season.

"I feel like I've been playing good," he explained. "I'm just trying to keep that aggressive mindset and really just keep playing as a team so we can keep getting W's and keeping this thing rolling."

Ohio State has made Branham its top recruiting priority in the 2021 class at this stage. Branham made an official visit back during the month of October, his first of the process.

"It was definitely good," he said. "They had this alumi dinner where everybody came back and so that was good. They were just asking me how I feel about everything and just seeing how I fit in with their style of play and everything like that. It was a good official visit."

The Buckeyes have expressed to Branham that he can fill a missing piece of the puzzle as a wing scorer.

"I'm that guard on the wing," he explained. "I can post guys up and be aggressive."

The four-star prospect admits that recruiting has been put on the backburner until the season is over. He'll sit down later in the spring or summer and worry about making a decision. There are two more teams in line to get official visits, however.

"Probably Alabama and Xavier," he said. "Those are the two I've been talking to the most (about an official visit) so far."

Branham is the No. 37 overall prospect in the nation according to Rivals.com.