Class of 2027 wing Davon Maloney updates recruitment heading into live period
BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ & SAM LANCE
The Nike Elite 100 Camp in St. Louis this past June hosted the best rising sophomores and juniors in the country to compete against one another in drills and 5v5 scrimmages. In a crowd of talented players, you need to find a way to stand out.
For class of 2027 prospect Davon Maloney, a 6-foot-6 wing out of the Newman School (PA) and the City Rocks Nike EYBL AAU program, that meant doing the little things.
“Obviously, everyone can score at the camp so nobody really wants to see that,” Maloney told ZAGSBLOG. “So I was trying to show I can rebound, be a good teammate when i’m on the bench, picking up other players and just working hard on defense.”
After one of the three evening camp sessions, the coaches talked to the parents and asked them what the EYBL statement banners hung around the gym represented. The obvious theme around all is defense, and Maloney really took the message to heart.
Maloney’s length and athleticism allows him to compete at a high level with his added energy and effort. He said he’s used to being the tallest kid growing up, but now he’s transitioning into becoming a complete player and wing capable of scoring from everywhere.
“More of a guard position because at the next level all the guards are my height 6’5-6’6,” Maloney said. “I can shoot it pretty well. I can handle it pretty well, defense and just finishing around the rim. But obviously there’s always room for improvement so I’m just trying to get better everyday.”
For City Rocks this summer, Maloney’s averaged 14.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists, including a 22-point, 14-rebound performance against team Howard Pulley. He’s one of five players averaging a double-double on the EYBL circuit at the 16u level.
The 6-foot-6 wing has earned offers from Albany, Drexel, Penn State, Siena and Yale. He been in touch with Buffalo, Cornell, Fairfield, Florida Gulf Coast, George Washington, Illinois, NJIT, North Texas, Penn, Rice and Stanford since the contact period opened June 15.
Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades chatted with Maloney when the program extended his first power league offer.
“The assistant coach reached out to me, I think it was the day after June 15, and they just said they like my game and are looking forward to recruiting me,” Maloney said. “I think it was later that day, they ended up calling me and it was the assistant coach and he was just asking me questions kind of just getting to know me. And the coach said hold on a second and he put the head coach on the phone. He asked me a some questions and he just offered me and said that he’s really looking forward to recruiting me and he hopes I would consider having Penn state in my top options when its time to committing to a school. I was very excited. I was kind of shocked — not surprised thinking I couldn’t do that — but that was a big deal. That’s Big 10.”
Still early in his recruitment process, Maloney has a lot to consider before deciding the next stage of his basketball career.
Maloney has not visited any schools and does not currently have any visits planned. His favorite NBA player is Jayson Tatum. When he’s not playing basketball, he likes spending time with his family and he enjoys cooking.
Photo via HS Scouting Hub.
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
Follow Alejandro Lopez on Twitter
The post Class of 2027 wing Davon Maloney updates recruitment heading into live period appeared first on Zagsblog.