Florida State University Athletics
2024-25 Men's Basketball Roster
Roster
Alier Maluk
- Year:
- Freshman
- Height:
- 7-0
- Hometown:
- Baldwin, Pa.
- Weight:
- 218
- High School:
- Long Island Lutheran
PTS: 8 at Virginia (3-4-25)
REBS: 5 vs. Miami (2-19-25)
BLKS: 2 vs. Florida (11-15-24), vs. Winthrop (12-17-24), vs. Syracuse (1-4-25)
STLS: 2 vs. Tarleton State (11-12-24), vs. Western Carolina (11-26-25)
ASTS: 2 vs. Georgia Tech (1-18-25)
HONORS
2025 All-ACC Academic Men's Basketball Team
WHY I WEAR MY NUMBER
Alier Maluk – I wear No. 21 at Florida State because it is 12 backward – which is a number that I have worn – and earned success with while wearing the number throughout my entire career. I wore the No. 12 when I began playing in Baldwin, Pa. (what age). One of the reasons I began wearing No.12 is to continually remind me of why I began playing the game of basketball – because I love playing the game.
Alier Maluk is the 28th player to wear uniform No. 21 at Florida State. George McCloud who had his No. 21 honored and raised to the rafters of the Seminoles ‘ arena in 2022, wore the number during his Seminole career. McCloud was a two-time All-Metro Conference selection and was named the Metro Conference Player of the Year in 1989. He was a finalist for the John Wooden Award which recognizes the nation's top player as a senior.
WHAT'S IN A NAME
Alier Maluk – My full name is Alier Pach Maluk. I was named after my grandfather on my mother’s side of the family.
MY HOMETOWN
My hometown of Pittsburgh, Pa., showed me what basketball was and that’s a big reason why I love my hometown. I started playing basketball in a small park in Baldwin, which is a suburb of Pittsburgh, and I’ve never looked back during my basketball career.
ON MALUK
In his second season as a Seminole and his first under first-year head coach Luke Loucks…announced on April 7, 2025 that he would continue his Florida State career under Loucks…the most important thing he’s working on during his second season as a Seminoles is his conditioning and building up his body in order to play a more important role for the Seminoles…Maluk is looking to add 10-15 points of muscle mass to his frame as the 2025-26 season begins…his improvement progression during his freshman season was as good as any young player in the ACC during the 2024-25 season…Florida State’s first commitment for the class of 2024…Florida State was his only official visit when he was choosing schools…originally a member of the Class of 2025 who reclassified his academic standing to earn his eligibility at Florida State beginning with the 2024-25 season…says reclassification wasn’t always in the plans but his continued and rapid development in his final two seasons of high school made the decision possible…a very talented and versatile player who can defend multiple positions and who has great athleticism…an elite rim protector…a dominant inside force…working on developing a great shooting touch…has the ability to stretch the floor as he continues to become a strong outside shooter…at his best in the open floor, where he can use his length and athleticism to finish in traffic…a two-way player known for his shot-blocking and rim-running abilities…plays hard and is very fluid in all of his movements on the court…participated in the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team minicamp in 2022…a standout player at the 2023 Pangos All-American Camp…considered to be a top-25 national prospect throughout his high school career…ranked 41st nationally on the 247Sports composite ranking board…rated as the second best player in the state of New York…played for the NY Renaissance on the EYBL circuit…named to the All-ACC Academic Men’s Basketball team as a freshman in 2025…earned a 3.0 grade point average in his first semester with his first collegiate grade of A in his Public Administration and Society class…his academic success helped the Seminoles earn a 3.059 grade point average as a team during his first semester on campus in the fall of 2025.
AS A FRESHMAN (2025)
Averaged 2.7 points (tenth on the team), 2.0 rebounds (seventh), 0.5 blocked shots (fifth) and 10.8 minutes played per game as he appeared in 31 of the Seminoles’ 32 games as a freshman…a starter at Duke (March 1) and at Virginia (March 4) as he earned the first two starting assignments of his career on the road in two of the toughest ACC road environments – at Cameron Indoor Stadium and at the John Paul Jones Arena…shot .552 from the field and ranked as one of only two Seminoles who shot better than 50 percent from the field for the 2024-25 season…his improvement was illustrated in his field goal shooting improvement as he shot .639 in 20 ACC games as compared to .452 in his 11 conference games…played his best basketball in the final month of the season as he averaged 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds while shooting .733 from the field (11 of 15) in his final six games of the season…shot .714 from the free throw line for the season including .833 from the line in his 20 ACC games…was five of six from the free throw line in ACC play…finished the season with 14 blocked shots and was one of seven Florida State players with double figure blocked shots…his career-high of 8 points came as a starter in Florida State’s game in Charlottesville against Virginia (March 4)…totaled 7 points in the Seminoles’ home game against North Carolina (Feb. 24)…six points came in four different games – against Tarleton State (Nov. 12), against Hofstra (Nov. 19), at Louisville (Feb. 22) and against North Carolina (Feb. 24)…totaled 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 blocked shot in his Florida State debut -- a 84-62 win over Northern Kentucky at the Donald L. Tucker Center (Nov. 4)...scored 6 points to go along with 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 blocked shot in Florida State's 72-52 win over Tarleton State at the Donald L. Tucker Center...scored 6 points and 3 rebounds in Florida State's 79-61 win over Hofstra in Tallahassee...totaled 4 points and 4 rebounds in 13 minutes of playing time in Florida State's victory over Western Carolina (Nov. 26)...scored 5 points against Louisville in the second ACC game of his career against the Cardinals in Tallahassee (Dec. 21)...scored 4 points with 2 rebounds and 2 blocked shots in Florida State's 90-74 win over Syracuse in Tallahassee (Jan. 4)...totaled 2 points, a career-high 5 rebounds, and 1 steal in Florida State's 74-66 win over Miami in Tallahassee (Feb. 19)...totaled 6 points and 2 rebounds in 12 minutes of playing time at No. 22/25 Louisville on the road in ACC play (Feb. 22)...scored 7 points on two made field goals and three made free throws in Florida State's game against North Carolina in Tallahassee (Feb. 24)...earned the first start of his career against Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium (March 1)...earned the second start of his career on the road at Virginia and responded with a career-high eight points on four of five made field goals.
AT LONG ISLAND LUTHERAN
Graduated from Long Island Lutheran in 2024…originally a member of the class of 2025, but chose to reclassify academically and move his graduation ahead one year in order to begin his college basketball career with the Seminoles for the 2024-25 season…with his addition ot the Lutheran roster, the team was ranked No. 3 in the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) preseason rankings.. averaged 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds while leading the Crusaders with 26 blocked shots in conference play during his only season at Long Island Lutheran…Alier led the conference in total blocked shots…helped the team finish with a 10-2 record in conference play…helped Long Island Lutheran advance to the quarterfinals of the Geico National Championship Tournament…totaled 9 points and 7 rebounds in Lutheran’s 84-57 victory over Oak Hill in an early season battle…helped Lutheran defeat Stepinac, 81-57, in the Class 2A State Championship game in 2024…totaled 20 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and three blocked shots in the state championship game…named to the EYBL All-Conference Defensive Team at Long Island Lutheran for his efforts during the 2023-24 season…totaled four blocked shots each against Link Academy, Veritas Prep, and Arizona Compass Prep.
AT IMANI CHRISTIAN
Played two seasons at Imani Christian – a school located just outside of Pittsburgh…averaged 15.1 points, 8.5 rebound and 3.1 blocked shots as a sophomore at Imani in 2023…helped Imani to WPIAL and PIAA Class 1A state championships…led Imani to their state championship victory over Berlin Brothersvalley at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa. in 2023.
PERSONAL
Born April 11, 2006…Alier is the son of Alier is the son of Sarah Achok Dot and Pach Alier…has four brothers and two sisters…born in South Sudan in East Africa…came to the United States when he was three years old…born in a refugee camp in Nairobi, Kenya in 2006…Alier, his brothers and sisters, and his mom came to the United States in 2009…hopes to play for his South Sudan’s national team in the future…a cousin of Bol Bol, who currently plays for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA…Bol Bol played collegiately at Oregon…chose Florida State over Maryland, LSU, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Oregon…received his first scholarship offer in the eighth grade…patterns his came after Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo…major is communications.
