Prospect Spotlight: Malik Ross (2022 Tualatin HS)
He’s pretty busy right now running the ball for Tualatin’s football team. But Malik Ross took some time out of his schedule to attend the PrepHoops Oregon Top 25 Expo a couple of weekends ago – and it was time…
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Continue ReadingHe’s pretty busy right now running the ball for Tualatin’s football team. But Malik Ross took some time out of his schedule to attend the PrepHoops Oregon Top 25 Expo a couple of weekends ago – and it was time well spent. The strong 5-foot-10, 170-pound guard turned some heads with his play and the two-sport athlete may very well have gotten a head start on a college recruitment for hoops after impressing the college coaches in attendance.
“We don’t get a lot of chances to show what we’ve got in front of college coaches so you’ve got to come out here and give it your all,” Ross said. “Of course I could improve on some things but overall I had a great performance. I shared the ball, rebounded, and scored and played good defense. I came out here with a killer mindset that I had to kill and that’s what I did.”
Ross was very impressive with his play – especially the way he attacked the basket. Using his quickness and strength, he easily got into the lane and was then able to score over taller opponents inside. While it’s clear his perimeter shooting will need to improve, he did knock down a couple of jumpers to keep the defense honest. He credits his time playing 15U travel ball with Elite 24 this summer for his improved game.
“I think that playing competition like that got me ten times better,” Ross said. “Now that I’m back playing in Oregon, things are a lot easier. I think that got me a lot better as well as staying in the gym, two, three times a day.”
As noted, Ross is a standout running back on Tualatin’s high-powered football team which is currently one of the best in 6A. He’s fully intending on continuing to play basketball in high school – but what about the possibilities of after that?
“Personally I want to be a really good two-sport athlete – basketball and football,” Ross said. “I take basketball lot more seriously, but I play football because I’m athletic and I’m pretty good at it. Basketball-wise I want to make it to a good D-I school and finish there, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Based on the way he performed, it’s probably a safe bet that Ross will find himself playing varsity for the Timberwolves this next season. He’s excited about the possibilities.
“We’ve got a lot of younger guys and we’re not very big, but I think we have a chance,” Ross said. “We have a lot of guards that can push the floor, scrap, and play defense – and defense wins championships. As long as we play defense our offense will come. We’ll push the ball and that’s how we’ll score the ball.”
“Last year we lost in the second round to Sandy which was an upset, so that put a chip on our shoulder,” he continued. “So this year we’re never going to doubt a team and going to give it all every game.”