Kentucky's Orlando Antigua checks in on 4-star '25 PF Alier Maluk

Alier Maluk dropped 22 points — 14 coming in the first quarter — to lead Imani Christian Academy to a Pennsylvania state championship win on Thursday afternoon. Kentucky men’s basketball associate coach Orlando Antigua was there to see it all go down.

According to multiple reports, Antigua was in attendance to watch Maluk play in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class A boys’ basketball title between Imani Christian and Berline Brothersvalley. Powered by the 6-foot-11 Maluk, a top-25 sophomore in the country, Imani Christain cruised to an 81-64 victory, capping off a dominating season with the school’s first championship.

Maluk, who has been hearing from Kentucky for quite some time now, is ranked No. 21 overall in the class of 2025 by the On3 Consensus. He first heard from the ‘Cats when he was a 15-year-old freshman. Maluk is also the cousin of 7-foot-2 center Bol Bol, who currently plays for the Orlando Magic.

Kentucky assistant Orlando Antigua is in today for 5⭐️ @imanipgh/@teamdurant_AAU 2025 forward Alier Maluk as he plays in the state championship game pic.twitter.com/Ssx7ljSHQF

— Ari Rosenfeld (@ARosenfeldHoops) March 23, 2023

Kentucky Assistant Orlando Antigua is in attendance for Alier Maluk’s PIAA State championship game for Imani Christian Academy @Maluk_Alier12

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 23, 2023

Currently, Maluk holds offers from the likes of Ohio State, Oregon, West Virginia, NC State, Auburn, Pitt, Texas A&M, and Seton Hall. Kentucky has yet to take that step. He also took an unofficial visit to Duke this past fall.

Maluk’s sophomore season couldn’t have come to a better end, as he posted 20 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks in a blowout semifinal win over Union Area, 72-40, on Monday before winning the title a few days later. Imani Christian finished the year with a 23-6 record, led by a young squad of four sophomores and one junior in the starting lineup. Maluk put the finishing touches on a terrific season, which included 17 straight victories, with an alley-oop slam off the backboard to ice the win.

And BOOM goes the big man. Imani sophomore Alier Maluk drops the hammer to cap off a 20-point performance, throwing down an alley-oop slam off the backboard to put the finishing touches on an 81-64 win over Berlin Brothersvalley in the PIAA Class 1A title game: pic.twitter.com/Klr5mk5Wm2

— Steve Rotstein (@SteveRotstein) March 23, 2023

The 2025 class is widely considered to be one of the deepest talent pools in recent memory. Maluk is clearly a high-priority target for Kentucky at this stage. The UK coaching staff is also high on local four-star point guard Jasper Johnson out of Woodford County along with five-star shooting guard Darryn Peterson, who is the only known ’25 prospect to hold a legitimate scholarship offer from the ‘Cats. Peterson is considered the No. 8 overall sophomore in the country, per the On3 Consensus.