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    Five-star big man Khaman Maluach eyeing March decision after completing visits

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    By ADAM ZAGORIA

    Five-star big man Khaman Maluach has completed his visits and is closing in on a decision in March, a source told ZAGSBLOG.

    The 7-foot-2 native of South Sudan most recently visited UCLA (Feb. 23-24) after previously visiting Duke (Jan. 20-21), Kansas (Feb. 9-10), Kentucky (Feb. 12-13) and G League Ignite (Feb. 21-22).

    Maluach, who only began playing basketball in 2020 and now competes for NBA Academy Africa, is projected as the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, per ESPN.com. He recently reclassified to the Class of 2024.

    “I think it’s the right decision because why not now?” Maluach told SLAM Magazine. “That’s what I was asking myself. Why not now? I feel like it’s the right decision and I feel like it’s God’s plan.”

    Blair Academy (N.J.) coach Joe Mantegna has coached Maluach with the South Sudan national team and will serve as an assistant coach with South Sudan in next summer’s Paris Olympics.

    “He has a chance to be the next Joel Embiid,” Mantegna said.

    “He’s 7-foot-2, he’s a fluid athlete, he plays with an unbelievable edge and he has a really high skill level and IQ,. “I mean, he’s been playing at the highest level for a long time, he understands the game deeply and he has a remarkable competitive edge. “If he goes to college, he’s going to be a game-changer day one upon arrival.”

    Maluach recently got a chance to meet his hero Giannis Antetokounmpo at NBA All-Star weekend, where Maluach competed in the eighth annual Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Global camp.

    Photo: ESPN

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    Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.

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