Imani freshman already on radar
Alier Maluk just turned 15 in April and won’t begin high school until later this month, but he’s 6 feet 9 and already owns scholarship offers from LSU and Texas A&M.
Oh, yeah … and he’s going to be playing in the WPIAL this upcoming season.
Maluk (his first name is pronounced Ahh-Leer) will be attending Imani Christian, which competes in the state’s smallest classification (Class 1A). But there’s nothing small about Maluk, a big-time talent who isn’t your normal freshman. This is especially true for an area not known for producing high-end Division I basketball talent, particularly post players.
“He’s definitely ahead of the game,” said Maluk’s godbrother and trainer, Mark Abdul. “He has been playing since fourth grade. He’s a skilled basketball player. His handle isn’t sharp, but it’s efficient. He shoots the three-ball well. His mid-range is really good for his size. Shooting comes naturally. I would say he’s ahead of the curve.”
Maluk isn’t new to Western Pennsylvania. He has actually lived here since moving to the area with his family from South Sudan when he was 3 years old. He’s the oldest of seven children. The family lived in Baldwin before moving to Bethel Park just before Maluk entered sixth grade. He attended Independence Middle School the past few years, and last season played on Bethel Park’s freshman team.
However, Maluk didn’t want to attend Bethel Park High School, Abdul said. Maluk has relatives who still live in Baldwin, and the hope was that he would move in with one of them and attend Baldwin.
“But things didn’t work out,” Abdul said, “so the only legal way for him to go was to go to Bethel Park or to a private school.”
Abdul added, “We’re really into church and Christianity. Going to a Christian school, there will be smaller classes and less distractions. It seemed better for him to keep his head on his shoulders.”
Imani Christian is located in the East Hills section of Pittsburgh. The Saints went 11-3 and reached the WPIAL Class 1A quarterfinals during the COVIDshortened 2020-21 season.
Maluk’s basketball goals at Imani Christian?
“Play hard, try to win state championships, and get to college hoops,” said Maluk, who said he is cousins with NBA player Bol Bol, whose family is also from South Sudan.
Maluk has attracted the attention of college coaches playing on the AAU circuit. He played for the New Jersey Scholars this summer after previously playing for the North Coast Blue Chips and Carolina Heights. Abdul said that Georgetown and Seton Hill are showing interest, adding that Pitt “knows about him.”
When asked which schools he hopes will offer him, Maluk said, “Pitt and North Carolina.”
In addition to AAU, Maluk played in the CJ2K League in Beaver County this summer. He averaged 18.5 points per game. One of his opponents was Winchester Thurston senior Jackson Juzang, a first-team all-state player in Class 2A last season.
“He has a good foundation,” Juzang said of Maluk. “He has to improve in every area, but since he’s a freshman and has a lot of time, his potential is through the roof.”
Maluk is very thin, so getting bigger and stronger has been one of his primary goals as of late, he said. And it would be no shock if Maluk gets even taller, perhaps even reaching 7 feet. Abdul said that Maluk’s mom and dad are both 6-1.
“He just needs to develop physically,” Abdul said. “He needs to get stronger, faster, quicker. When he does, he’ll be a monster.”
Clutter picks school
It wasn’t until a few months ago that Alyssa Clutter knew the school North Alabama even existed. It sure did grow on her fast because Clutter committed to play basketball there last week.
Clutter is a standout guard at Trinity who helped the Hillers reach the WPIAL Class 5A
championship game last season. When it came to finding a college, Clutter got some help from Doug Herrmann, the father of SLAAM AAU teammate Jackie Herrmann.
“He watches a lot of basketball and saw them on TV,” Clutter said. “He reached out to their coach and said, ‘I have a girl who fits your style of play, and one of your girls is very similar to Alyssa Clutter.’ I hadn’t even known about the school.”
North Alabama is a Division I school located in Florence, Ala. The Lions compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Clutter took an official visit to North Alabama this summer and came away impressed.
“I think the most appealing piece is the people down there,” she said. “You don’t know how kind and welcoming people from the south are until you go down there. Everyone was really welcoming and I really enjoyed spending time there.”
Clutter, who plans on studying to become a physician’s assistant, is an outstanding athlete who is also a soccer and track standout at Trinity. She was named all-section in soccer her junior season and finished seventh in the 100meter dash at the PIAA Class 3A championships.
Heidenreich to Navy
Mt. Lebanon should have one of the top football teams in Class 6A this season. One of its best players committed to an FBS school last week. Senior wide receiver-defensive back Eli Heidenreich verbally committed to Navy. He also had offers from Slippery Rock, Davidson and Valparaiso. Heidenreich (6 feet, 185 pounds) led Mt. Lebanon in receiving last season when he finished with 12 receptions for 303 yards (25.3 yards per catch) and seven touchdowns.
“He’s an exciting kid,” Mt. Lebanon coach Bob Palko said. “He’s very good. We look forward to seeing him at wide receiver and doing some other things.”
First offers
A couple of WPIAL athletes recently picked up their first Division I offers. New Castle senior Mike Wells earned a football offer from Youngstown State, while Hampton sophomore Meghan Murray received a basketball offer from Niagara. Wells (6-3, 220) will likely play linebacker in college. Thomas Jefferson junior Jordan Mayer picked up his first Power Five football offer. Boston College offered Mayer, a tight end-defensive end who also has offers from Bowling Green and Duquesne.
Orie heads west
Hempfield graduate Mackenna Orie won the Big East shot put title in the spring. Next season, Orie will try to capture a Pac12 title in the event. Orie is transferring from DePaul to Arizona, where she’ll be a junior this fall. She won’t be the only star thrower from the WPIAL in Tucson. Knoch graduate Jordan Geist is one of the best in the country. Orie was named Most Outstanding Field Performer at the Big East Championships when she finished first in the shot put and second in the discus.
Baseball commitments
Highlands’ Tanner Nulph (Seton Hill); Norwin’s Noah Czajkowski (St. Bonaventure); South Fayette’s Michael DiMartini (Penn State).
Basketball commitments
Jeannette’s Keith Rockmore (Bluefield State); Latrobe’s Anna Rafferty (IUP); Norwin’s Brianna Zajicek (Alderson Broaddus).
Football commitment
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Joe Blahovec ( Youngstown State).
Soccer commitment
Southmoreland’s Kendall Fabery (Cleveland State).
Softball commitment
Penn-Trafford’s Mia Smith (Pitt Johnstown).