SI All-American Candidates: 1 Ohio State Commit and 1 Buckeyes Target Named

Malaki Branham, a shooting guard from Akron who committed to Ohio State in July, has been named a Sports Illustrated All-American candidate.

Branham chose the Buckeyes over a final list of schools that included Alabama, Baylor and Marquette, among others. The 6-foot-5 wing attends St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, the prep alma mater of LeBron James.

Ohio State remains in the running for fellow SI All-American candidate Charles Bediako, a center from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The 6-foot-11 big man is also considering Duke, Michigan, Texas and Alabama.

No other uncommitted prospects who made the cut list the Buckeyes among their top college choices.

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Hundreds and hundreds of student-athletes were evaluated for the SI99—Sports Illustrated’s ranking of the top-99 senior high school basketball players in the country—before the list of All-American candidates was finalized. Video highlights, scouting analyses and a breakdown of each player’s college verbal commitment and/or top college contenders can be found on their bio pages at SIAllAmerican.com.

The SI99 was unveiled on Dec. 2, accompanied by lists of prospects ordered by state and college choice/contenders. Position rankings, in-depth videos on top-rated players and more will be released throughout the remainder of December. Sports Illustrated’s final All-American teams for the 2020-21 prep hoops season will be announced in coming months.