Earlier this afternoon, at precisely 2:22 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Malaki Branham revealed where he will be taking his talents to at the next level.
Even with offers from multiple out-of-state schools, including Alabama, Wake Forest and Wisconsin, none of them could lure Branham out of Ohio.
He chose to stay close to home.
Branham, the No. 35 overall rising senior in the country, committed to the Buckeyes today, becoming the highest-ranked prospect in Ohio State's 2021 class. In case you missed it, Branham spoke with Rivals basketball analyst Corey Evans about his decision to team up with Chris Holtmann's program.
Evans broke down his skill set in this piece, but I wanted to get an idea of who Branham is as both a player and a person. So, I hopped on the phone with Danyelle Love and Trey Woodyard, both of whom have known Branham since the seventh grade.
Coach Love's Assessment of Branham
Very few people know Branham's game, the type of player he is and the strides he's made on the court as much as Love does.
Love, who is the Tru Game head coach and program director up in Akron, Ohio, has seen Branham's development ever since he joined her AAU team as a middle schooler. She believes that although the 6-foot-5, 190-pounder has a year left of high school, he already possesses all the requisite tools to be successful in college.
"In actuality, and I'm not just saying this... I'm a very upfront, honest coach. In actuality, I think Malaki is ready," Love told BuckeyeGrove. "Of course, we understand that college is a whole different level. Being a Division 1 player myself, I understand that I didn't learn the game actually until I got to college. I think St. Vincent-St. Mary and the tough AAU schedule that we've had and the success we've had in the AAU realm of things, I think that Malaki is more than prepared for college because of both aspects of his high school and AAU careers."
