Syracuse University basketball coach Jim Boeheim earlier this week mentioned there could be lineup changes in the works.

Well, Maliq Brown is looking to enter his name into that conversation.

When he steps on the court, his presence is immediately felt. While playing time has been sporadic this season, Brown knows his role and the energy it brings.

“Go rebound," Brown said. "Play defense. Get the loose balls and everything else. Just being able to do the stuff I usually do, and getting better at it is good and fun at the same time. Play my best. Don’t take any plays off, because you don’t know when you’re going to get in or not.”

He’s a work in progress in the eyes of Boeheim.

“He’s not quite ready, but he gets around the basket and he’s physical," Boeheim said. "He’s still learning the defense. Offensively, he’s not a really good passer. He doesn’t shoot. He’s a low-post player.”

But it’s athleticism that makes him a weapon. And that same talent was on full display on the football field at Blue Ridge High School in Virginia. It's sport that Brown admits was his first love.

“Me being able to run as fast as I could when I got the ball, or show my aggressiveness," Brown said. "On the basketball court, you’re not encouraged to hit somebody, so it was good being encouraged to hit somebody.”

Brown had dreams of playing in college and hopefully the NFL. But a knee injury his sophomore year forced him to take a step back and think about his future, leading him to decide basketball was the right path forward.

“I didn’t realize how tall I really was," Brown said. "I was like 6'5, 6’6, or something like that. So, I thought I’d just focus on basketball, as I was hurt, and just stick to one sport.”

That choice brought him to Syracuse. But his mind still wanders back to the gridiron.

“I think about it all the time, if I didn’t get hurt playing football," Brown said. "I know I’d still be playing football in high school and whatever happened after that. I still think about it, but at the end of the day, I’m still happy sticking with basketball. I’m happy with that too.”

Brown has learned a lot about himself since his Syracuse journey began months ago. No matter how easy or hard things may seem at times, his family keeps him level-headed.

“Them encouraging me and pushing me since I was younger to show me I can do, what I wanted to do, and playing sports is something I want to pursue in my future career. So, it just encourages me to see how involved my family is and friends are with me and the development of my sport,” Brown said.

With the rigors of ACC play around the corner, all he can do is be himself and embrace his role with the Orange.

“Encouraging my teammates that encourage me and just keep developing, as we have a lot of new faces and talents on our team," Brown said. "Just keep developing everyone's games, having a better season. We started off kind of shaky, so just picking it up and build onto something better than we already started.”