Nebraska making a push for nation’s No. 1 JUCO prospect Malique Ewin
Nebraska has already seen four offseason departers to the NCAA Transfer Portal, some expected, and others not as much.
Now, with five scholarships available for next season, the Huskers are off and running in restocking their roster. That included seeing the nation’s top-ranked junior college prospect on Wednesday.
Head coach Fred Hoiberg and assistant Ernie Zeigler were down at the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship in Hutchinson, Kansas. Their sites were set on 2024 South Plains (Texas) College big man Malique Ewin.
A 6-foot-10, 220-pound sophomore out of Lawrenceville, Georgia, Ewin is rated the No. 1 JUCO player in the country for 2024, per JUCORecruiting.com. Over 34 appearances this season, he averaged 14.9 points on 62.6% shooting, 9.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.7 blocks per game.
No. 2-seeded South Plains’ season ended in an 88-87 loss to No. 7 Triton in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. But Ewin finished with 23 points (9-17 FG) and 11 boards over 34 minutes.
Ewin set for the next step in a winding basketball path
Ewin was a four-star recruit at Lilburn (Georgia) Berkmar, rated the No. 94 overall player and No. 11 center in the 2022 On3 Industry Ranking. He signed with Ole Miss over several other high-major offers, including one from Mississippi State, where Zeigler was an assistant coach.
But his career in Oxford didn’t last long. Ewin appeared in only 14 games and averaged 1.4 points over 5.9 minutes per contest.
He was then reportedly involved in a one-car accident last January that resulted in the death of an Ole Miss student. He did not play for the Rebels after the incident, with then-head coach Kermit Davis citing personal reasons.
Ewin eventually transferred to South Florida in June, but he hit the portal again just two months later in August. He wound up at South Plains, and now his attention moves to the next stop in his winding basketball journey.
RELATED: 2024-25 Nebraska basketball scholarship distribution chart
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