Khaman Maluach: 'It's been a great journey'

Duke freshman center Khaman Maluach reflects on his past year, from playing in the Olympics to now playing in the Sweet Sixteen with Duke.
Posted 3/27/2025, 3:09:00 AM Updated 5/17/2025, 9:48:18 PM

Uh man I watch um I watch I didn't watch

a lot of college basketball when I was back home

overseas

I watched a lot of Euro League and uh more

of NBA basketball but when I started watching uh college

basketball

I remember I watched um

I watched Duke last year

I watched other schools that were recruiting me last year

and um I'm excited to be here and I'm grateful

that I'm here

What is it that these people reaching back home from

teammates or family members things like that you know how

excited are people for the opportunity that we have right

here you know 4 wins away from possibly get

Um I mean I'm I'm not really thinking to ahead

is the Arizona game that's in front of me and

uh that's what I gotta go get uh but then

I believe that excited people at home are excited because

I haven't really been on my phone and um I'm

not really on my phone and I'm locked in for

this

Second time around was Arizona

Uh what's different about your game What's different about the

team this time around uh going against the same team

I mean I feel like we both teams have grown

um I feel like our team has grown with chemistry

wise um I feel like we've we've we've had more

experience like as freshmen when when we came in at

the beginning of the season

I feel like we have more experience now than then

Um what's what's the best year been like for you

I mean from you know Paris to to now like

it's just has it just been a constant whirlwind What

what's it been like I mean it's been fun uh

it's been a great journey it's been a lot of

learning and uh a lot of adjustments to do and

um it's been great because I remember last last time

I was just in the Olympics and then I came

straight to school

And then now I'm in Match Madness uh it's it's

really fun and uh it just shows like time flies

by quick too

How how have you changed during this time I I

imagine you kind of have to with just everything that's

that

I mean I don't think I've really changed

Uh I would say I've grown uh I've grown in

different places whether it's on the basketball court or off

the basketball court so I feel like I've grown uh

with uh with understanding the game too and uh I

feel like I'm getting better from time to time

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