Elijah Malone, one of the top players in Grace Men’s Basketball history, took the time on Monday to announce the next step in his basketball career. Malone will graduate from Grace College this Saturday, before using his one remaining year of eligibility to transfer to the University of Colorado in Boulder to join the Buffaloes in the Big 12.
Malone took four official visits to Colorado, Indiana, Notre Dame and Boise State before formally announcing his commitment on Monday. A total of 116 schools reached out to Grace head coach Scott Moore, 25 of those being Power 5 schools.
“All of the visits I took were great, it was a really difficult decision narrowing it down,” Malone said. “I thought Colorado gave me the best opportunity to grow and prove that I belong at the next level. My goal is to play professionally and I feel that Colorado is the best place to show that I can do that.”
The 6’10” center leaves the Lancers as one of the most decorated players to play at Grace. His 1,953 points and 1,017 rebounds are both top ten marks in the program, while he stands alone at the top with 308 blocks and a 65% field goal percentage. In 2024, he was named the NAIA National Player of the Year, the NCCAA Player of the Year, the Crossroads League Player of the Year, as well as the Bevo Francis Award winner, which is given to the top small-college player in the country.
Malone has also had more than his fair share of team success, posting a .806 winning percentage (112-27) in his four years. He was part of a Grace team that made it to the NAIA Elite Eight in 2023 and Final Four in 2024, while also winning the Crossroads League tournament in each of the least three seasons.
“Grace has provided a great home for me over these last four years. I’d like to thank my teammates, I wouldn’t be up here right now if it wasn’t for you boys,” Malone said as he pointed to his teammates, who were all in attendance at Monday’s press conference. “I’m not here without you guys, and I need y’all to know that, because I love you boys.”
Moore and Athletic Director Chad Briscoe were both in attendance as well, and spent the first few minutes of media availability praising Malone for all he has done for the program in his four years as a player.
“You can look at the team and individual success, but my favorite part about E is his loyalty. He could have bounced any time he wanted. This is a special place but there are bigger schools out there that can offer things we can’t match,” Moore said. “He’s had the opportunity to leave for the last three years, and I’ve told him ‘If you want to go, you can go.’ But his response has always been ‘Why would I want to leave my guys?’ and as a coach, I don’t think anything could make me more proud than that.”
Moore also told the story of how Malone first came onto his radar. The big man was not initially recruited by Grace, but after another player backed out of his commitment, Moore went to Prairie Heights High School to watch Malone play in person, saying that after just five minutes of seeing him in action, he knew he could be a special player.
Now Malone will take his talents to Colorado, a team that went 26-11 in the 2023-24 season, its final in the Pac-12 conference. Led by head coach Tad Boyle, the Buffaloes made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in March, losing by four to No. 2 seed Marquette.
“The way that Colorado has built their program around coach Boyle, and the culture that he’s built there was something I thought was really really impressive,” Malone said.