Prospect Spotlight 2021: Malik Carson
Malik Carson, 6’4″, WF/WG, 2020. DeMatha Catholic Stags, Hyattsville, MD.
Grassroots team: New World 15&U
Malik is a very impressive sophomore on one of the deepest teams in DC/DMV. Last year Malik played on the DeMatha freshmen team which recorded a 22-1 record. This spring & summer he played for New World 15 U who compiled a 40-10 record & went 3-1 in the Adidas Gauntlet in Atlanta. Malik is an excellent athlete & possesses a huge upside. Malik’s brother Bobby is a rising junior who has grown 2 inches & is now close to 6’6″. Bobby & Malik looked fantastic in recent pickup games at DeMatha & Bobby appears ready to breakout this season for the Stags. Malik is a future star & plays with a very high motor & excels in transition where he finished at the rim on a consistent basis last week He is very quick & fast with a very good vertical & can dunk very easily. Malik can blow by defenders on pure speed & quickness alone. He showed us great timing, instincts & closeout speed & has the makings of special player. Malik plays with a great court vision, a very high IQ & makes winning plays.
When we chatted with Malik it was very obvious he has a great passion for basketball. He sets goals & understands his role for DeMatha this coming season. We know DeMatha’s entire roster very well & after watching Malik play we believe he will play varsity this season & become a D1 player in the future. He is that good. Playing against the varsity’s best players Malik proved he can finish at the rim from both sides thru contact. Despite his wiry frame Malik is very tough & said” This season I will be a high energy lock-down defender off the bench. I can impact the game without scoring & I use my long wingspan for deflections, steals, rebounds & blocks. I get the 50/50 balls & I will go the floor. Every team I have played on has won championships & I know how to win. We have the players, talent & with our great Coaching we can win the WCAC. That is one of our team goals & we realize we have to play our A game every night because the WCAC is the best conference in the nation.”
During the entire year Malik works on basketball 6-7 days a week. He can score from the triple threat with both hands from either side of the court. Malik displayed a very good mid range game & scored off 1 & 2 dribble pull-ups & he added,”I can shoot inside the 3 point line off the dribble. I am working on my range & 3 point shot. I want to improve my handle & add to my go to move which is the between the leg crossover. I workout a lot at DeMatha with Coach Toby & my vertical has improved since April & I am finishing better. However, we are still working very hard on my strength & conditioning.”
Malik has a very close knit family & names his mom & dad as his role models. In his downtime he likes to study Kevin Durant & Russell Westbrook of the NBA. We will be following Malik during his career at DeMatha & this season we will be covering DeMatha in great detail & we are very excited to watch Malik in his journey on & off the court. We firmly believe Malik will be very successful in his next 3 seasons at DeMatha & in the long term future.