© Jeff Nycz, Mid-South Images
Grace College Transfer Elijah Malone Plans to Visit Indiana
Elijah Malone won the Bevo Francis Award playing for Grace College in 2023-24, an award given to the best player among all NCAA Division II, Division III, NAIA and junior colleges. Now he's drawing interest from high-major Division I programs, including Indiana, which he'll visit Thursday.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Grace College center Elijah Malone is looking to jump up to the Division I level for his final season of eligibility. His Indiana visit begins Thursday, as first reported by NAIA Hoops Report.
Malone earned the Bevo Francis Award in 2023-24, an award given to the best player among all NCAA Division II, Division III, NAIA and junior colleges. As a senior, Malone averaged 17.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.9 assists playing 24.5 minutes per game. He shot an efficient 63% from the field, 36.9% from 3-point range on 103 attempts, and 81.4% from the free throw line.
Malone has heard from 30 Division I programs since entering the transfer portal, according to Fort Wayne's WANE 15 News. He has already visited Notre Dame, and now he plans to visit Indiana and Colorado.
Malone started 117 games and played in 139 across his four-year career. He averaged 9.6 points per game as a freshman, then over 14 points per game from his sophomore through junior seasons. He made the NAIA All-American second team as a junior, and earned a spot on the All-Crossroads League second team as a sophomore.
Coached by Scott Moore, Grace College had a combined 112-45 record across Malone's four seasons with the team. Grace, an NAIA program in Winona Lake, Ind., won the Crossroads League regular season title in both the 2023-24 and 2022-23 seasons, in addition to fourth and fifth-place finishes the previous two seasons. That success carried over into the postseason, reaching the Fab Four in 2023-24 and making the Elite Eight and Sweet 16 prior.
At 6-foot-10, Malone has a versatile game for a center. He's powerful inside, whether its scoring over defenders, rebounding or blocking shots. But he also stepped out to hit 99-of-251 3-point attempts, or 39.4%, across four seasons. A willing passer, too, Malone dished out 179 assists in his career, including a career-high 1.9 as a senior.
He graduated from Prairie Heights High School in LaGrange, Ind., near the Ohio and Michigan borders, where he was a small school All-State honoree in 2019. Moore recognized Malone's talent at a young age.
“‘There's this 6'8 kid from Prairie Heights that is pretty good' is all I kept hearing about back at the beginning of the season," Moore said. "I finally had the chance to go see Elijah play and knew instantly the boy could play. He is very skilled for a big man and offers much more than size. He can shoot it, pass it, and loves to rebound. But the best quality that Elijah brings is his enthusiasm for his teammates, and I can't wait to see that with our team!"
Grace College center Elijah Malone dunks the ball.
Jeff Nycz, Mid-South Images
Indiana landed Arizona center Oumar Ballo on Tuesday, who figures to replace NBA-bound Kel'el Ware in the Hoosiers' starting lineup. But Indiana also lost backup bigs Anthony Walker and Payton Sparks following the 2023-24, creating a need for front court depth. That could be filled with a player like Malone. Indiana still has four scholarships heading into the 2024-25 season, but is off to a good start this offseason, adding Ballo, five-star freshman Bryson Tucker and Washington State guard transfer Myles Rice.
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- CONNOR ESSEGIAN VISITING INDIANA: Connor Essegian made the Big Ten All-Freshman team, but his minutes decreased during his sophomore season. Now the Indiana native in the transfer portal and begins his visit to Bloomington on Wednesday. CLICK HERE
- OUMAR BALLO COMMITS TO INDIANA: After two consecutive first team All-Pac-12 seasons at Arizona, 7-foot center Oumar Ballo announced he’s transferring to Indiana for his final season of eligibility. CLICK HERE
- MYLES RICE COMMITS TO INDIANA: After earning a spot on the All-Pac-12 first team as a freshman at Washington State, guard Myles Rice announced he’s transferring to Indiana. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA BASKETBALL TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER: The college basketball transfer portal is in full swing. Here you can find all the Indiana basketball transfer portal news, including incoming and outgoing transfers, players with interest from Indiana, NBA draft entrants and a scholarship chart for next season. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA CONTACTS KOBY BREA: Koby Brea shot 49.8% from 3-point range for Dayton last season, which ranked first among all Division I college basketball players in 2023-24. Indiana has reportedly reached out to Brea after he entered the transfer portal. CLICK HERE
