It may not have been the season most fans and the team wanted so far for the Ohio State basketball team, but there’s at least a little reason to rejoice with the news that guard Malaki Branham has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year for the 2021-2022 season. He was named by both the media and the coaches on Tuesday.
Branham came out of the same famed Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary high school program that Lebron James did, but was originally from Columbus. He was a high four-star prospect in the 2021 class and started out the campaign a little slow. However, he announced his arrival to the world on January 2 when he poured in 35 points against Nebraska on the road.
From there, Branham started to become one of the best scoring options for Ohio State, scoring in double figures in eight straight games to end the regular season, including games in which he went for 31 (at Illinois) and 27 (vs. Indiana). He has averaged 13.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and an amazing 49.1% from the floor as a guard this year.
Branham also made the all-Freshmen team and was named to the All-Big Ten third team by both the coaches and media. He becomes the first Ohio State player to be named Freshman of the Year since D’Angelo Russell did it back in the 2014-2015 season.
⭐ @MalakiBranham has been named 2022 @BigTen Freshman of the Year‼️#Team123 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/KhJWtk8oJV
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) March 8, 2022
We are now all anxiously awaiting whether or not Branham decides to go off to the NBA or stay at Ohio State for another year. We also can’t wait to see what he does in the postseason before that decision has to be made.
