Basketball; The Game That Changed Malike Brinson’s Life

Athletics provide an opportunity for billions of people to stay active and work towards achievements and goals. Early in his life, Malike Brinson turned to sports to help him make friends as the former AMCC Defensive Player of the Year moved around quite a bit as a toddler. Brinson was born in Washington D.C., but moved around the city and spent some time in the New England states before coming to Erie in elementary school. Playing basketball was a great outlet for Brinson to meet new kids while also keeping him busy and out of trouble. The game has become one of the largest parts of his life, and his career in the sport has truly been noteworthy.

:Growing up, I felt a lot of pressure. I was the new kid a lot. There was a lot of moving around which created great adversity for me. School and basketball were the perfect ways for me to express myself and meet new friend groups. I played football growing up, but quickly fell in love with basketball after my brother Keith Wallace really started to get into the game and become a talented player.” Like previously mentioned, Brinson settled in Erie for middle and high school, and attended Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy. The school provided Brinson with opportunities to work towards a college degree in high school while challenging him to put in many hours in order to succeed in the classroom. Brinson played basketball and baseball for Central Tech Career and Technical School (Central Tech) because of their co-op in athletics with Collegiate Academy. It was playing for Central Tech where Brinson formed lifelong friendships while also showcasing his talents on the basketball court.

Brinson was a First Team All-Region performer, but faced fierce District 10 competition in his high school days. “District 10 was set up different then. East, Central Tech, McDowell, Strong Vincent, and Cathedral Prep were all very talented back then. Now, D10 is set up different with the merger into Erie High School and different classifications. I never won a championship in basketball coming to college.” Regardless of Central Tech’s performances, Brinson’s play stood out to some local college coaches including St. John Fischer, Allegheny, Gannon, and of course Behrend. Brinson had a previous relationship with Coach Niland because his brother Keith played for Niland during his college career. After realizing Behrend had early childhood education which Brinson was passionate about, he knew Behrend was the best fit for his playing career.After graduating from Collegiate in 2015, Brinson enrolled at Behrend in the Fall of 2015 and began his freshman season. It was truly a learning curve for him as Brinson bounced between point guard, shooting guard, and small forward during his first collegiate season which made for a tough transition to the college game. Additionally, Brinson was around 20-30 pounds heavier as a college freshman than he was as an upperclassman. It took some rough times to help Brinson realize what it was going to take to contribute more to his full capability. As things were looking up in his sophomore season and Malike was beginning to play more, he suffered a season ending injury when he broke his hand in a game against Penn State Altoona. It was a devastating time for Brinson, but he was able to overcome adversity once again with the support of his family and his teammates.

“I was crushed when I broke my hand. Not much had gone right in my first two season to that point, and I was finally getting my chance and that happened. I was so down about it. However, I knew that summer I needed to continue to get my body right and improve my shooting in order to help the team over the next two seasons. Every day in the summer, Malike and his best friend Derrick Clark would work out to improve their game. Clark finished his freshman season at Behrend as Brinson finished his sophomore campaign. The duo played together at Central Tech and loved the opportunity to be on the floor together again at Behrend. This offseason was a great one for Brinson and Clark as they each improved tremendously and came into fall practice in great shape and ready to make an impact. That is just what they did as Brinson earned the starting spot at small forward for Behrend as Derrick Clark became a great rotational player and later a starter after the injury to Andy Niland. The duo helped Behrend keep pace in the AMCC and secure the second seed in the conference playoffs.

Brinson started in all 29 games for Behrend in his junior season and averaged 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds. His offensive numbers were solid, but Brinson continued to make his mark on the defensive end of the floor. Brinson took the AMCC by storm locking up the Lions opponents best guards which helped Behrend lead Division III in scoring defense in 2017-2018. His play was recognized across the conference, and Brinson was chosen as the AMCC Defensive Player of the Year in his junior season. He helped the Lions reach the AMCC Finals before falling in the title game to the La Roche Redhawks. It was a moment that motivated Brinson along with his teammates to end his career on a positive note and head to the NCAA Tournament.

In his senior season, Brinson continued to produce for Behrend as he started in all 28 of Behrend’s games as a senior and scored 6.8 points while grabbing 3 rebounds per game and shooting 38.3% from beyond the arc. He netted a career high 20 points against Mt Aloysius this season while also posting 19 against Medaille as well during the season. Brinson’s numbers remained consistent, and so did the play of the Lions as they went on to win the AMCC Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. It was a successful season for the Lions and it allowed Brinson to win his first real championship in school related hoops.

While Brinson’s success speaks for itself, he is quick to talk about how his family and friends helped him on this path to success. “I have to give credit to my mom (Gail Wallace) for always being there to support me through everything. I also have to give the biggest credit to my brother Keith. He paved the way for me and everything I have done I have to credit him for. He showed me the light and I put my own twist on it. He showed me the importance of hard work, staying focused, and also he taught me about the game of basketball. I owe so much to my older brother.” In addition to his family, Malike spoke about the close friendship he shares with fellow Behrend hooper Derrick Clark. “Derrick and I have been friends for quite some time. That is my brother for life. We have spent so much time playing the game together and pushing each other to get better. He has improved so much in his college career. He has some of the thickest skin of anyone I know. He never complains and he works for what he gets. He is a great friend and I am going to miss playing with him. I wish this past season could have been different for him, but he will be back and better than ever in his senior season.”

Brinson also wanted to thank all of the coaches from Behrend especially Coach Dave Niland for all he has done for him in his four college seasons. He also made sure to speak about his high school coach Tom Koval for his great support and his help in the recruiting process from high school to college. Lastly, Brinson spoke about his former teammate and mentor Malquan Pullium who showed Brinson how he needed to practice and play in order to make an impact at Behrend. Malquan believed in Malike from the start and helped Malike transition into a multiple position player like Pulium was at Behrend.

While Malike has faced a lot of adversity in his life, he has always had a response for whatever has been thrown his way. Growing up without a father figure, his brother Keith made sure he stayed on the right path and helped him follow in his footsteps to start living a successful life. Brinson has faced injuries and changes to his body that many people would let define them, but Brinson is different than most people. He never gave up on himself, and it has him leaving Behrend basketball as a conference champion. Brinson will be graduating in the Fall of 2019 and hopes to stay in the Erie area to teach and coach basketball. His team first mentality and his tenaciousness on defense made Brinson one of the best all around players and people Behrend has seen.