Syracuse forward Maliq Brown enters transfer portal

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Syracuse forward Maliq Brown is entering the transfer portal, he announced on social media and confirmed to On3 Sports.

He becomes the fifth Syracuse player to enter the transfer portal since the conclusion of the Orange’s 2023-24 season, joining Quadir Copeland, Peter Carey, Justin Taylor and Benny Williams, the latter of whom was dismissed from the team in early February.

“I would like to thank Coach Red, Coach GMac, Coach Boeheim, and the entire staff that recruited and gave me the opportunity to perform at this level,” Brown said in an Instagram post. “I am beyond grateful for the love and encouragement that you and Cuse fans have shown me during my time at Syracuse.”

The move comes just a few days after former SU associate head coach Gerry McNamara took the head coaching role at Siena.

Brown, a sophomore from Virginia, saw an increased role under first-year head coach Adrian Autry, sliding into the starting center role, once center Naheem McLeod underwent season-ending foot surgery. Brown, who started 18 of 32 games, averaged 9.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, including scoring 26 at Duke on Jan. 2.

Leading the ACC with 71 steals, Brown earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Team honors, notching a single-game high of five steals against Georgia Tech. He finished fourth in the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Brown’s departure is another hit to the Orange’s frontcourt, though Syracuse still has five-star recruit Donnie Freeman joining the program next season.