Latest news with #BlueDevils'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Khaman Maluach gets real on how Duke prepared him for NBA Draft
The post Khaman Maluach gets real on how Duke prepared him for NBA Draft appeared first on ClutchPoints. Few teams routinely produce more top NBA Draft prospects than Duke. Consensus top pick Cooper Flagg leads the Blue Devils' 2025 draft class, but center Khaman Maluach is not far behind. Advertisement Maluach was one of three Duke freshmen to enter the 2025 NBA Draft, joining Flagg and Kon Knueppel. Despite playing a complementary role with the Blue Devils, Maluach feels his lone collegiate season helped prepare him for the next level. 'I feel like we had a great year at Duke,' Maluach said in an interview with Andy Katz. 'I feel like I did my role, did my job. Being able to affect the game without having the ball in my hands. I feel like I did a lot to prepare [myself] for this. The practices, the reps, the film, stuff I'm learning from coaches and teammates. I feel like that prepared me and helped me be in this position where I'm at today.' Maluach started all 39 games in 2024-2025, averaging 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 21.3 minutes per game. The South Sudanese prospect had a career-high of just 19 points but is still considered the top center of the draft due to his size and length. Advertisement Despite playing in the shadows of Flagg and Knueppel, Maluach was still one of the most important assets of Duke's ACC championship season. The lanky big man anchored the team's defense and was a large part of the Blue Devils' top-10-ranked paint defense. Khaman Maluach's 2025 NBA Draft projection David Banks-Imagn Images Despite concerns about his foul trouble and footwork, Maluach is widely expected to be a top-10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. In a class that lacks many frontcourt prospects, Maluach is inarguably the top pure center of the group. Of those picking early in the lottery, the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls are the most center-needy teams. The Houston Rockets were another potential option at No. 10, but they are seemingly headed in another direction after extending Steven Adams. Advertisement Behind Maluach, Maryland's Derik Queen is generally viewed as the second-best center in the draft. However, unlike the Duke product, Queen is an athletic, perimeter-oriented big man with guard-like skills. There is a wide gap between Queen and the third-best center of the class, whether it is Georgetown's Thomas Sorber, France's Joan Beringer or Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner. Related: NBA news: Jalen Suggs, Tyrese Haliburton cousin truth has fans losing their minds Related: Lakers' LeBron James bluntly puts potential coaching future to bed
Chicago Tribune
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
An aspiring teacher, Katie Monroe helps Warren try to fulfill its potential. The senior catcher ‘inspires.'
Warren catcher Katie Monroe's patience has been rewarded on the softball field. Monroe has learned the importance of that quality off the field too. She said she wants to be a teacher like her mother, who works in special education at Woodland Elementary School. Monroe has assisted her mother in the classroom. 'It's taught me patience,' she said. 'It's a tough job. So just seeing any improvements, even if they're small or big, are important. It's fun to see the kids doing better academically and socially.' Monroe played on the junior varsity team for two seasons while Ally Badgley was the Blue Devils' starting catcher. 'It was hard, but I know I had a great catcher in front of me,' Monroe said. 'I just did my time. I hit the weight room at home and in class and really put the time in to get better and be ready. 'I was pretty excited to get to start catching. I learned a lot and think I did well.' Indeed, Monroe was an All-North Suburban Conference selection last season, her first as the varsity starter, and the Wisconsin-Stout recruit has continued to backstop the Blue Devils (17-8, 9-4) with grit in her senior season. Monroe, who is batting .338 with a 1.044 OPS, three home runs and 22 RBIs, has thrown out five runners trying to steal and picked off four others. Not reflected in the scorebook, Monroe is also adept at blocking. 'Katie is such a good catcher because of the way she will sell out for everything behind the plate,' Warren junior outfielder Annalise Stich said. 'The way she will block anything in the dirt and throw a girl out at any base are things that make her stand out. She's a competitive and dedicated player.' Warren coach Jenna Charbonneau said Monroe does everything she can to help the pitcher succeed. 'Katie does a great job of being a partner for her pitcher,' Charbonneau said. 'She knows when she should go out and have a talk and manage the pace of the game. Katie has improved the most on receiving the ball. I know she has put a lot of time and effort in the offseason, and it really shows. She works really hard behind the plate for her pitchers.' Warren junior pitcher Camryn Guldberg knows that well. 'What makes Katie such an amazing catcher is the way she talks to her pitchers,' Guldberg said. 'She competes every pitch that's thrown to her, takes charge of the field and keeps everything honest in any situation with feedback. 'Katie's work ethic inspires others on the team, and she shows true leadership by keeping people in the game mentally.' Stich agreed that Monroe's impact is widespread. 'Katie is such a good teammate,' Stich said. 'She's there every time to help out a teammate.' Monroe said she spent most of the offseason working on her defense but also wanted to improve as a leader. 'Being an older person on the team, I try to help out the younger teammates,' she said. Monroe has helped Warren at the plate too. In April, she had three hits and three RBIs in a win against Antioch and three hits and five RBIs in a win against Mundelein, two teams that reached the state semifinals last year. With the playoffs approaching, Monroe hit .643 with a 1.524 OPS and four RBIs during a recent stretch. The second-seeded Blue Devils will play either 15th-seeded Wheeling or 18th-seeded Waukegan in the Class 4A New Trier Regional semifinals on Tuesday. 'We have a lot of potential,' she said, 'and are still getting better and learning.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Duke Player May Face Deportation After Blue Devils' Loss In Final Four: Reports
Duke Player May Face Deportation After Blue Devils' Loss In Final Four: Reports Duke University basketball star Khaman Maluach could be deported after Secretary of State Marco Rubio cancelled the visas of all South Sudanese passport holders residing in the U.S., The New York Times reported Sunday. Rubio said the measure was effective immediately 'due to the failure of South Sudan's transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated citizens in a timely manner.' Khaman Maluach of the Duke Blue Devils dunks against Houston in a semifinal of the NCAA tournament. Tyler Schank via Getty Images Maluach, a projected first-round pick in the upcoming NBA draft, and his teammates endured a crushing defeat to Houston in a national semifinal of March Madness on Saturday. The Blue Devils were outscored 9-0 in the last 33 seconds of their 70-67 loss. Advertisement Maluach had 6 points and no rebounds in 21 minutes against Houston. But his 7-foot-2 height and improvement during his freshman season at Duke bumped his potential draft position to as high as the top 10, according to some outlets. He previously trained at the NBA Academy Africa and played sparingly for South Sudan at the Paris Olympics. A Duke spokesperson told the New York Post the university is 'looking into' the deportation edict and 'working expeditiously to understand the implications for Duke students.' Duke's semester ends in May. South Sudan has been experiencing a surge in violence between government troops and opposition forces, The Associated Press reported. Advertisement Rubio announced the measure just hours before Duke took the court for its Final Four matchup. 'I am taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and to restrict any further issuance to prevent entry into the United States, effective immediately,' Rubio wrote, 'due to the failure of South Sudan's transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated citizens in a timely manner.' Related...
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
It's Time For Trump's Physical Exam And You Know What That Means
President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will receive his annual physical exam on Friday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. 'I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!' he wrote on Truth Social. Trump promised to release his medical records during the 2024 election but never did. His recent medical history is unknown. But we do know that some of Trump's health reports have produced memorable moments through the years: In 2015,Trump's campaign shared a report from his doctor brimming with superlatives. But the doctor, Harold Bornstein, later said Trump dictated the whole letter. In addition to praising then-candidate Trump's 'astonishingly excellent' lab results, the assessment went a tad over-the-top in describing Trump's well-being: 'His physical strength and stamina are extraordinary. If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.' In 2018 Trump bristled at claims of his cognitive problems in a book and took a dementia test. Dr. Ronny Jackson said the president scored a 30 out of 30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Trump earlier tried to quiet the chatter about his mental health by dubbing himself 'a very stable genius.' Jackson also gushed about his overall health, even predicting Trump would be 'fit for duty' for a second presidency. In 2019 one of Trump's doctors, Sean Conley, was accused of becoming an 'instrument of his lies' because he too forecasted Trump's well-being ― in glowing terms of course. In 2020 amid the pandemic, Trump again boasted about his mental acuity by bragging that he could remember 'person, woman, man, camera, TV' in a cognitive test. But he got mocked instead. Bill Maher Praises Donald Trump Perhaps Too Much In Chris Cuomo Sit-Down Duke Player May Face Deportation After Blue Devils' Loss In Final Four: Reports Trump's New Compliment For His Market-Tanking Tariffs Is Beyond Bonkers
USA Today
06-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Who is No. 9 for Duke basketball? Meet Khaman Maluach, Blue Devils' star 7-2 center
Who is No. 9 for Duke basketball? Meet Khaman Maluach, Blue Devils' star 7-2 center Show Caption Hide Caption Players and legends explain why this Final Four could be an all-timer Duke, Auburn, Houston and Florida all made it to the Final Four as No. 1 seeds and they explain why you shouldn't look at that as a bad thing. Sports Seriously Duke men's basketball forward Khaman Maluach might be lesser known than some of his teammates like Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, but the true freshman is nothing short of an elite talent. Maluach, who stands a whopping 7-foot-2, has seen his game grow tremendously since the start of the season, and he has played a key role for the Blue Devils all season. His play has also put him firmly on the NBA draft radar, with his stock soaring into lottery territory. REQUIRED READING: Duke freshmen thriving outside Cooper Flagg's shadow when lights are brightest The Rumbek, South Sudan native is averaging 8.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game on a loaded Duke roster and makes up the Blue Devils' big three of true freshmen starters that are all expected to hear their name called in the upcoming NBA draft. Here's everything to know of Maluach, who's looking to win a national championship in potentially his lone college basketball season: Who is No. 9 for Duke basketball? Maluach wears No. 9 for Duke men's basketball team. He's a 7-foot-2 forward and starter for the Blue Devils. Maluach came to Duke from the NBA Global Academy in Africa, where he blossomed into one of the top recruits of the 2024 cycle. He was the No. 3 overall player and No. 1-ranked center in 2024, according to 247Sports' Composite rankings. Maluach also participated in the 2024 Olympic Games as a member of the South Sudan basketball team, where he played in three games but only averaged 4.3 minutes per contest. Khaman Maluach wingspan Maluach has a 7-foot-5 wingspan and provides perhaps the best length of any forward in college basketball. His shot-blocking and defensive potential makes him quite the NBA prospect. Khaman Maluach height Maluach stands 7-foot-2 and has a 9-foot-8 standing reach. Khaman Maluach NBA mock draft Here are the latest NBA mock draft projections for Maluach:
