Composite five-star guard Boogie Fland sets Arkansas visit
Boogie Fland, 247Sports No. 26 overall prospect in the class of 2024 (No. 19 in the Composite ranking) is set to take an official visit to Arkansas beginning Wednesday evening.
The 6-foot-2, point guard from White Plains (N.Y.) had initially signed with Kentucky but reopened his recruitment after John Calipari took the job at Arkansas and is open in his recruitment.
So far, Fland has heard from the likes of Arizona, UConn, Alabama, Arkansas and Seton Hall among others and remains open in his recruitment.
“It’s the same thing as the first time around,” Fland told 247Sports. “We’re right back at square one where I’m going to hear coaches out and just try to make it right this time.”
When it comes to his upcoming official visit, John Calipari has made it clear that he remains a priority target for him how that he’s at Arkansas.
“Coach Cal is telling me the same stuff since he recruited me at Kentucky,” he said. “He wants me to come play for him and come play at Arkansas.”
As for what he’s looking for, Fland will prioritize winning in making his next decision.
“I want to go to a school that fits me,” he said. “I want to be comfortable and do what I do while bringing a winning culture.”
While Fland maintains that he’s open in the process, he’s yet to set any other visits so all eyes will be on his upcoming visit to Fayetteville to see if Calipari can talk another former commit into following him.
247Sports director of recruiting Adam Finkelstein provided a scouting report on Fland.
Fland is a skilled guard whose biggest asset is his ability to shoot the basketball. Like few other players in high school basketball, he has an ability to heat up and start making tough shots from long-range. However, his willingness to settle for those tough shots, can impact his efficiency. The 30% he shot from behind the three-point line in EYBL came in direct correlation to his shot selection, since he’s undoubtedly a better shooter than those numbers indicate.
While Fland is young for his grade, he remains undersized with a slighter natural build, but deceptively long arms. His lack of strength can sometimes limit his ability to play through contact in the lane, but he has good range on his floater and is adept at getting to the free-throw line.
Fland has spent most of his high school career playing off the ball, but has developed into a reliable secondary ball-handler who has become increasingly capable of initiating offense with the ball in his hands. He has pace with the ball, both in the open floor and coming off ball-screens, a good left hand, and has definitely gotten tighter with his handle over the years.
Defensively, Fland has the long arms, quick hands, and feet to be effective. He defends with a playmaking mindset that leads to a high steal rate (1.7/game), and has untapped potential as someone who can pick-up and pressure the ball away from the basket.
Overall, Fland is a skilled shooter, who bases his game off his ability to make tough shots right now. As he continues to build up his body and learns to impact the game in other ways, he’s only going to become more efficient.