Duke Trending Toward Belmont Transfer Drew Scharnowski

The 6-foot-9 forward could help replace Maliq Brown's defense and rebounding.

Apr. 18, 2026 at 8:20pm

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A fragmented, geometric painting depicting the movements and positioning of a basketball player on the court, with sharp planes of navy blue, powder blue, and white.A cubist interpretation of a versatile frontcourt player's defensive impact and rebounding prowess.Burlington Today

Duke is trending toward landing Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski, a 6-foot-9 frontcourt prospect who could help fill the defensive and rebounding void left by the departure of senior Maliq Brown. Scharnowski, a redshirt sophomore from Burlington, Illinois, emerged as a rotation player at Belmont before breaking out this past season with averages of 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.

Why it matters

With Brown leaving after a standout season that earned him ACC Defensive Player of the Year and ACC Sixth Man of the Year honors, Duke has a clear need to replace his defensive presence and rebounding in the frontcourt. Scharnowski's size, defensive skills and production at Belmont make him an intriguing option to fill that void.

The details

Scharnowski redshirted his first year at Belmont before becoming a rotation player. This past season, he averaged 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 blocks per game on 68.1% shooting. His combination of size, defense and rebounding could make him an ideal fit to replace the production of Maliq Brown in Duke's frontcourt.

  • Scharnowski redshirted his first year at Belmont.
  • In the 2024-25 season, Scharnowski averaged 5.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game.
  • In the 2025-26 season, Scharnowski averaged 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.

The players

Drew Scharnowski

A 6-foot-9, 230-pound redshirt sophomore forward from Burlington, Illinois who has emerged as a productive player at Belmont over the past two seasons.

Maliq Brown

A senior forward at Duke who was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and ACC Sixth Man of the Year last season.

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What’s next

Duke will continue to evaluate Scharnowski and other transfer options as they look to fill the void left by Maliq Brown's departure.

The takeaway

Scharnowski's combination of size, defense and rebounding production at the mid-major level makes him an intriguing target for Duke as they look to replace the production of Maliq Brown in their frontcourt.