April 1, 2022

MALAKI BRANHAM WINS 2022 AWARD

NEW ORLEANS, LA --- Ohio State’s Malaki Branham is the winner of the 2022 Kyle Macy Award, presented annually to the top freshman in Division I college basketball.

Branham averaged 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists for Ohio State, which finished 20-12 and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Branham hit 53 percent of 2-pointers, 41 percent of 3-pointers and 83 percent of free throws. He scored 23 points in the Buckeyes’ NCAA loss to Villanova and had a pair of 30-point efforts in Big 10 competition.

The 6-5 guard, who is a native of Columbus, Ohio, opened the new year with a career-best 35 points against Nebraska and averaged over 20 points per game over the final 10 games of the season.

The Kyle Macy Award, which is presented annually to the top freshman in Division I college basketball, is named for a guard who starred as a freshman for Purdue.

The 1975 Indiana "Mr. Basketball" played his freshman season at Purdue University, averaging 13.8 points per game while leading the Boilermakers in free throws (85.9 percent for the season). He started in 25 of 27 games, helping them to a 16-11 season record.

After playing his freshman year at Purdue, Macy transferred to the University of Kentucky in 1976. He started every game for the Wildcats in 1977. A three-time All-America and three-time All-SEC player, Macy was a member of Kentucky's 1978 National Championship team. In his senior year of 1979-80, he became the first Kentucky player ever to be named consensus Southeastern Conference Player of the Year.

2021-22 KYLE MACY FRESHMEN ALL-AMERICA TEAM