Florida State transfer big man Malique Ewin has committed to Arkansas, he confimed on Tuesday.
Ewin is coming off a two-day visit in Fayetteville. He was reportedly scheduled to visit Mississippi State later this week, but the Razorbacks did enough to sway him. He joins South Carolina transfer forward Nick Pringle in Arkansas' portal class.
The former Seminole began his collegiate career at Ole Miss before eventually moving on to South Plains C.C., where he was a NJCAA First-Team All-American.
A 6-foot-11, 230-pound soon-to-be senior, Ewin averaged 14.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this past season, while he shot 59.6% from the field and 65.3% from the free throw line.
Ewin amassed nine double-doubles in 2024-25, including an outing with 17 points and a season-high 17 rebounds at LSU. His season-high point total came in the regular season finale against SMU, where Ewin tallied 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting.
There are still plenty of portal prospects to track and movement to monitor with Arkansas' potential returning players, so be sure to follow along with the HawgBeat roster tracker.
Player Bio:
MALIQUE EWIN'S CAREER HIGHS
PTS: 26 vs. SMU (3-8-25)
REBS: 17 at LSU (12-3-24)
BLKS: 5 vs. UCF (12-14-2)
STLS: 3 vs. Hofstra (11-19-24), vs. Notre Dame (2-4-25). vs. Miami (2-19-25)
ASTS: 4 vs. Winthrop (12-17-24), vs. Georgia Tech (1-8-25)
HONORS
Game MVP vs. Temple (Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off) (Nov. 22, 2024)
WHY I WEAR MY NUMBER
I wear No. 12 at Florida State in respect to my best friend who is no longer with me. It’s the number I began wearing when I started playing basketball in the eighth grade and it is a meaningful number to me.
Malique Ewin is the 28th player in school history to wear uniform No. 12. Charlie Ward, who helped lead the Seminoles to the brink of the 1993 Final Four, was a starter on Florida State’s Sweet 16 team in 1992. He hit the game-winning shot in the Metro Conference Tournament Championship game over Louisville in 1991. Ward still holds Seminole basketball records for the most steals as a Seminole (238) and ranks ninth all-time in assists (396). Ward wore No. 12 as a Heisman Trophy winner and National Championship member of the Florida State football team.
WHAT'S IN A NAME
My full name is Malique Flex Ewin. Maliqe is a name my father liked and Flex is my dad’s nickname.
MY HOMETOWN
My hometown of Lawrenceville, Ga., is a suburb of Atlanta and is about 30 minutes outside of one of the greatest cities in America. It’s the oldest city in Gwinnett County and is named after Captain James Lawrence who was a naval commander in the War of 1812.
ON EWIN
The nation’s top junior college recruit who will fit into Florida State’s lineup perfectly on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court…earned NJCAA All-American First-Team honors and was the junior college player of the year in 2024…a First-Team Junior College All-American at South Plains College in Texas as a sophomore in 2024…entered the transfer portal on March 31, 2024 and committed to USF on June 5, 2023…left USF and transferred to play one season at South Plains Community College (2023-24)…elected to play for Head Coach Leonard Hamilton and his staff on April 24, 2024 and earned his Associates Degree from South Plains on May 30, 2024…chose Florida State over Alabama, Xavier, Virginia Tech and Florida…a physically strong and skilled big man…finishes well in the paint with the ability to finish with either his left of his right hand…can face the basket with a continuously developing outside shot…a dominant rebounder with tremendous athleticism...a fierce protector at the rim…has good hands and is a strong passer out of the post which allows the offensive to be run through him…a strong handle, can move off of the bounce, loves to start the fastbreak and scores well in space…his well-rounded offensive game makes him tough to defend as a big man…has incredibly soft touch and incredible body control for a player his size…is crafty, has amazing footwork for a player his size and knows how to use his body…a pure athlete…ranked as the No. 11 center prospect nationally and the No. 3 overall prep player in the state of Georgia as a senior at Berkmar High School.
AS A JUNIOR (2025)
A starter with 4 rebounds in his Florida State debut to help lead the Seminoles to a 74-62 win over Northern Kentucky at the Donald L. Tucker Center (Nov. 4)...scored 11 points with a team-high tying 7 rebounds with 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 blocked shot in Florida State's 73-65 win over Rice at the Toyota Center in Houston (Nov. 9)...scored 10 point with 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist against Florida at home at the Donald L. Tucker Center (Nov. 15)...scored his career-high of 13 points with 6 rebounds, a career-high 3 steals, and 2 assists in Florida State's 79-61 win over Hofstra in the Donald L. Tucker Center (Nov. 19)...a near double-double of 15 points and a career-high 9 rebounds in Florida State's 78-69 win over Temple in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off (Nov, 22)...totaled a career-high 17 points, with 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in Florida State's 92-59 victory over UMass in their final game of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off (Nov. 24)...totaled 12 points with 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in Florida State's 91-57 win over Western Carolina in Tallahassee (Nov. 26)...a career-night with a career-high tying 17 points and a career-high 17 rebounds with 2 assists and 1 blocked shot at LSU In the ACC/SEC Challenge in Baton Rouge (Dec. 3)...a career-high 23 points and 9 rebounds with 2 blocked shots, and 1 assist in his first career ACC game at NC State in Raleigh, N.C. (Dec. 7)...scored 10 points with 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 blocked shot in Florida State's 77-64 win over Tulane in the Orange Bowl Classic (Dec. 14)...second career double-double of 21 points and 15 rebounds with 4 assists, and 1 steal in Florida State's 82-64 win over Winthrop at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee (Dec. 17)...scored in double figures for the 10th consecutive game with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in Florida State's game against Louisville in Tallahassee (Dec. 21)...in double figures for the 11th consecutive game with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists in Florida State's 90-74 win over Syracuse at the Donald L. Tucker Center (Jan. 4)...third career double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds in Florida State's 80-65 win over Miami on the road in ACC play in Coral Cables (Jan. 8)...his fourth career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in Florida State's ACC game at Clemson (Jan. 11)...fifth career double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds with 3 blocked shots in Florida State's 82-70 win over Pittsburgh in ACC play in Tallahassee (Jan. 15)...a sixth career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds with 4 assists and 2 blocked shots in Florida State's 91-78 victory over Georgia Tech in Tallahassee (Jan. 18)...a seventh career double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds in Florida State's game at Cal in ACC play (Jan. 22)...scored 16 points on a career-high 10 free throws made on a career-high 12 free throws attempted with seven rebounds and three assists at Stanford in ACC play (Jan. 25)...a near double-double of 18 points and 9 rebounds with 1 assist, 1 blocked shot, and 1 steal at Boston College in ACC play (Feb. 1)...his eighth carer double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds in Florida State's win over home over Notre Dame (Feb. 5)...his nine career double-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, and 1 steal in Florida State's come-from-behind 72-70 win over Wake Forest on the road in ACC play (Feb. 12)...totaled 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots in Florida State's game against Clemson in Tallahassee (Feb. 15)...totaled 23 points on 10 of 10 shooting from the field with 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists in Florida State's 74-66 win over Miami...finished a perfect 10 of 10 from the field to become just the fourth player in school history – and the first since 1992 – to finish perfect on at least 10 field goals in a game...he was 10 of 10 from the field to match a record for field goal perfection last set by Douglas Edwards against UNC Asheville on January 2, 1992...the first player in school history to record a perfect shooting night with at least 10 field goals made in an ACC game (Feb. 19)...totaled 19 points (on 9 of 10 shooting from the field) with 9 rebounds, 2 assists ad 2 steals in Florida State's game against No. 22/25 Louisville on the road in ACC play (Feb. 22)...scored his career-high of 26 points in Florida State's 76-69 win over SMU in Tallahassee..was a near perfect 10 of 13 from the field and made 6 of 7 free throws to go along with a game high tying 8 rebounds against the Mustangs (March 8)...totaled 8 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal in his first career ACC Tournament game against Syracuse at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte (March 11)...
AT SOUTH PLAINS
The No. 1 ranked player and the No. 1 ranked center in the junior college ranks by 247Sports..earned NJCAA All-American First-Team honors, was named as the WJCAC Region 5 Player of the Year, and has been chosen to play in the NJCAA All-Star game…in 2024, Ewin led South Plains to the WJCAC conference championship and was named as the league’s Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, and to the All-Conference team…led South Plains to a No. 2 seed in the NJCAA National Championship tournament, to the NJCAA Region V Championship, to the nation’s No 1 national ranking for 12 weeks during the 2023-24 season, and to the Western Junior College Athletic Conference regular season championship…averaged 14.9 points and 9.0 rebounds this past season at South Plains...he played in 34 games, shot .626 percent from the field, and earned 35 steals in leading South Plains to the quarterfinals of the NJCAA National Tournament...earned a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds as South Plains fell to eventual national champion Triton in the Elite 8 of the championship tournament…totaled 21 points, nine rebounds, and three blocked shots in the second round of the tournament to advance the Texans to the quarterfinals…totaled 21 points with nine rebounds, and three blocked shots in 33 minutes of play to lead South Plains over Panila Community College to advance the Texas to the Elite 8 of the NJCAA National Tournament at Hutchinson, Kansas.
AT OLE MISS
Averaged 1.4 points, 1.1 rebounds and 5.9 minutes played in 14 games as a freshman during his only season at Ole Miss…Scored his season-high of 10 points, as he was a perfect four of four from the field five rebounds and five blocks against UCF (Dec. 14)…totaled four points on a perfect two of two shooting from the field in four minutes played in his third career game against Chattanooga (Nov. 15)…totaled two points against Valparaiso (Dec. 10). At Alabama (Jan. 3) and against Auburn (Jan. 10).
BAHAMAS TOUR
Averaged 8.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 15.0 minutes on three games played as he traveled with the Ole Miss Basketball team during a foreign tour to the Bahamas prior to his freshman season (July 31-August 5, 2022)…totaled 6 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot in the Rebels 89-71 win over the Bahamas Select Team (Aug. 1)…scored 4 points (on a perfect two of two shooting from the free throw line) with 4 rebounds 9 minutes of playing time in the Rebels’ 88-70 win over the Discount Distributors Rockets (Aug. 2)…scored 16 points (on eight of 12 shooting from the field) with 7 rebounds , 2 blocked shots and 1 steal in 16 minutes of playing time in the Ole Miss 121-75 win over Raw Talent Elite (Aug. 3) in the Rebels’ final game of their tour…was a starter for the Rebels in its win over Raw Talent Elite…totaled 16 points in just under 16 minutes of playing time in the final game of the foreign tour.
AT BERKMAR HIGH SCHOOL
Graduated from Berkmar High School in 2022…was ranked among the top-20 centers in the nation and named as the 7-AAAAAAA Player of the Year in the state of Georgia as a senior…earned All-State, All-Metro, and All-County honors throughout his career…averaged a double-double of 17.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.1 blocked shots and 1.9 assists per game as a junior at Berkmar…earned All-State First-Team selection and led Berkmar to a runner-up finish in the 2022 Georgia High School State Championship tournament…earned All-State, All-County, and All-Metro honors throughout his high school career…a two-time Gwinnett Daily Post Preseason Super Six selection…Led Berkmar to a 25-6 overall record, an 11-1 record in conference play, and to a runner-up finish in t Class 7A in the state of Georgia during the 2020-21 season...the No. 13 ranked center in the call of 2022 by Rivals.
PERSONAL
Born May 13, 2003…Malique is the son of Natasha Lewis…he is the third youngest of eight siblings – two sisters (Bri and Britney) and four brothers (Denver, Tracy, Matthew and Jahari)… originally chose to play at Ole Miss after receiving offers from Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida, Illinois, Virginia Tech and Xavier…earned an Associates of Arts Degree in General Studies from South Plains Community College on May 31 2024...major is social science.
