SYRACUSE, N.Y. (CBS19 SPORTS) -- Freshmen year roommates can be a mixed bag unless you are Syracuse first years Justin Taylor and Maliq Brown, who have known each other for nearly a decade...

"Here, luckily we actually get our own room and everything," Taylor said about Brown, "But we're in the same apartment, but he can be a little messy sometimes, he might not admit it."
 
St. Anne's-Belfield alum Justin Taylor, from Charlottesville, and Blue Ridge alum Maliq Brown, from Culpeper, first met playing AAU in middle school, where their moms became friends and quickly so did they.
 
"I can't really think of the earliest memory, but it definitely has been since we were 11 or 12," Brown said, "Not knowing that we were going to be playing together in college was crazy."
 
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim not only landed a sweet shooter in Taylor when he committed in June of 2021, but also his lead recruiter for Brown.
 
"Maliq's my guy, I knew when I committed here and they started recruiting him, I knew that I had to get him here," Taylor said, "I'll take part in that as well just me contacting him all the time."
 
Only a couple months later in October, Brown committed to joining Taylor with the Orange, completing a class of six freshmen.
 
"Justin's definitely a good recruiter," Brown said, "He was definitely one of the main reasons why I came here, just talked to me every other day."
 
The two never played a game against each other in high school, but recently STAB and Blue Ridge have squared off, with the Saints winning both matchups this season, giving their coaches time to reflect on Brown and Taylor ending up together in the ACC.
 
"Coach Lemcke and I were talking about it before the game just that you have two Central Virginia kids, who are playing at the highest stage," STAB boy's basketball coach Damin Altizer said, "How cool is it that we leave this game and go turn on and watch them play whether it's Carolina or Duke or whoever. It's a fun time for Central Virginia basketball."
 
Blue Ridge has seen plenty of alums thrive in the ACC over the years, including recent All-ACC selections Aamir Simms at Clemson and Mamadi Diakite at Virginia.
 
"I don't know if we've had that before where two from the same area have had a big role," Blue Ridge coach Cade Lemcke said, "We pinch ourselves and say they're only freshmen and they could be the future of that Syracuse team."
 
Minutes have steadily increased for both on a young Orange team, even leaving the legendary Boeheim impressed.
 
"I think they're both good players, I think they need this year, I think most freshmen they need that first year to figure out what they got to do," Boeheim said, "I think they're both going to be really good players, they're just not quite ready right now."
 
The homecomings to Charlottesville are a perk of ending up at Syracuse, the other is watching childhood friends push towards a dream together.
 
"It's kind of crazy, two guys coming from the same area come up to Syracuse, New York of all places," Taylor said, "It's just special up here."
 
The Orange will host Taylor and Brown's hometown team UVA on Monday, but you better believe plenty in the Charlottesville area will root for a different shade of Orange.
 
"I definitely hear about it all the time, but I try to not let that get in the way or slow me down or anything," Brown said, "It's definitely something that's unbelievable and a dream come true, so just keep striving to achieve more."