While five of Duke University basketball's six freshmen showed off their skills at Sunday night's Jordan Brand Classic, five-star Karman Maruachi was busy preparing for Monday's matchup against the adult men.
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Maruaha, who plays for the City Oilers in the Basketball Africa League, performed well against older and more experienced players in his team's 79-68 loss to Al Ahly Lee. The 7-foot-1 center continued to shine against the pros, recording 16 points, 19 rebounds and seven blocks in about 34 minutes of play.
He made his BAL debut in 2022 at the age of 15, starting out as a role player and now at 17 years old, he has developed into a full-fledged star. Part of that growth is due to the NBA Global Academy and assistant technical staff. Manager Joe Tuomou also helped develop Joel Embiid, who is currently a seven-time NBA All-Star and reigning league MVP.
“[Embiid] “He was 17 years old, and he was immature,” Tuomou told ESPN, comparing the two players' teenage skill sets. [at 17] Itβs 10 times better.β
In just three games in the BAL this season, Maluach is averaging an impressive 20.3 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game, and will play a game before heading to Durham for the Blue Devils' 2024-25 season. continues to refine.
Carman Maruaha, ranked No. 6 overall by the 247Sports Composite, is just one of the high-profile recruits that will make up Duke Basketball's No. 1 recruiting class next season.
He joins fellow five-star composite stars Cooper Flagg, Isaiah Evans, Conn Knuppel, Patrick Gomba II, He will join four-star Darren Harris.
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