WHITE PLAINS − Boogie Fland always draws a crowd.
Stepinac’s latest five-star basketball recruit was the focal point in the gym on Friday, announcing his commitment to play next season at Kentucky amid the lights and cameras.
Fland toyed with hats from each of his three finalists before standing up and pulling open his letterman jacket to reveal a UK shirt. The bleachers were filled with schoolmates who cheered the decision.
“Today was crazy, a dream come true,” Fland said. “I’m not going to lie, I did not think there would be this many people here. I’m at a loss for words. I woke up at like 6 o’clock this morning with the jitters. I was just walking around the house. I didn’t know what to do.”
After reviewing the pros and cons along with the many conversations he’s been a part of in the last month, Fland made up his mind. He was sold on the reputation Wildcats head coach John Calipari has for developing NBA talent.
That is the end game.
“If you look at the guards that coach Cal has produced and what they’ve done, why wouldn’t I want to go there?” asked Fland, who’s been sleeping on the decision for the last 10 days. “He didn’t promise me anything. He didn’t promise me shots or playing time. ‘He said, ‘You’re going to come in and work and compete. You’re going to fight a battle each day,’ and that’s what I’ve been doing here at Stepinac so I’m going to be ready to do whatever I need to do to get on that basketball court.”
Immanuel Quickley, a Knicks guard who played at Kentucky, was on hand for the announcement.
Fland was never in a rush to make this decision.
The elusive 6-foot-3 point guard who turned 17 over the summer was courted by the best programs in the country. He listened to more than 30 offers and narrowed the list to Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, St. John’s and UConn in July.
Earlier this month, he named Alabama, Indiana and Kentucky the finalists and spent time in the gym and on the home front with coaches from all three teams.
“It was a long journey,” said Fland’s mother, Shakima Smith. “When he started playing basketball we didn’t know he was going this far. He went further than he probably expected and there was a lot of sacrifice involved. High school was my decision. I told him that he was coming to White Plains and going to Stepinac. College, that was his decision and I told him I was here to support him as much as I could.”
The NCAA’s early-signing period runs Nov. 8-15.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for him and now he needs to go seize the moment,” Crusaders head coach Pat Massaroni said. “Today was different. We’ve been fortunate enough to have some high-level guys here. The buzz from the time I got here this morning at 7:20 right through the announcement this afternoon was a different level. Today was Boogie’s moment, his family’s moment and a special day for Stepinac and Stepinac basketball.”
Fland was the cornerstone of a Stepinac team that celebrated a CHSAA AA Intersectional championship, averaging 18.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He was named lohud Player of the Year. Fland spent the summer jetting to Nike Elite Youth Basketball League tournaments with the PSA Cardinals. There were official campus visits mixed in with the basketball and he spent Oct. 6-8 in Colorado Springs for a USA Basketball mini-camp. Fland is ranked No. 2 among Class of 2024 point guards on the ESPN 100 index.
“Boogie has always shot the ball well from 3, but the ability to absorb contact and finish at his size and the ability to stop on a dime and make the right play or take the right shot is why he’s been able to skyrocket on the nation stage,” Massaroni said. “And he doesn’t get a lot of credit for his ability to defend and rebound. He’s so long and athletic, and he cares. When you’re a superstar and have everything going for you, sometimes you can take a possession off at the defense end, but he’s not that player.”
Mike Dougherty covers high school basketball for The Journal News and lohud.com. Follow along on Twitter/X @lohudhoopsmbd.