One day before he announces, class of 2024 top-20 guard Boogie Fland has the national recruiting outlets guessing.
While the 6-foot-3 Fland is publicly down to IU, Kentucky and Alabama, the one thing everyone does seem to agree on is Fland won’t pick the Crimson Tide.
247Sports national reporter Eric Bossi believes Indiana has made a strong push towards the end of Fland’s recruitment.
But he wouldn’t go so far as to say the Hoosiers have passed Kentucky.
“While the Wildcats have maybe been seen as the slightest of favorites, Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers have been making a serious charge,” Bossi wrote on Thursday for 247Sports. “They are also pitching Fland on being a primary ball handler who would take over for Xavier Johnson. They are promoting how they gave Jalen Hood-Schifino the freedom to develop into a one and done and it wasn’t too long ago that they beat another power player who had been seen as the favorite for a player in the region when they overtook Kansas to land five-star freshman Mackenzie Mgbako.”
Meanwhile Rivals’ national analyst Rob Cassidy says he’d give the edge to Kentucky right now, but not in a very convincing fashion.
“As we sit here and we record this right now, I feel like Kentucky has taken the lead from everything that I’ve heard.” Cassidy said on Thursday. “I would not bet my house on it. The way things have gone here, I think Indiana is very much still alive and I wouldn’t be completely floored if Mike Woodson pulls this off. But as I sit here and talk to you, the vibes feel like Kentucky, but it’ll be interesting to see.”
Here is everything Cassidy had to say:
Where will five-star PG Boogie Fland choose? @Cassidy_Rob previews the decision: https://t.co/aDuEyR3vsl pic.twitter.com/HOqh9SMq4X
— Rivals (@Rivals) October 19, 2023
Nearly three weeks ago The Daily Hoosier laid out why we were hearing IU was a strong contender to land Fland. This analysis holds up a day before his announcement:
Once Indiana decided to go all-in on this recruitment, it has been a full court press by the IU staff. That commitment and focus on Fland as Indiana’s main guy in the 2024 class at lead guard has not gone unnoticed, and could be a bit of a differentiating factor for IU as things stand.
And Fland and his family really like Mike Woodson. They are a New York family, they know of Woodson from his time with the Knicks, and they know Carmelo Anthony and have received a strong endorsement via that channel. Woodson has been involved and has made a real connection.
Finally, we’ve written a lot about the impact of Jalen Hood-Schifino’s one-and-done season at IU, and how that has helped the Hoosiers on the recruiting trail. There may not be a recruitment where it has helped more than this one. Fland can see himself in that role. He told us that multiple times over the summer.
Fland is announcing on Friday at 2 p.m. ET in at Stepinac H.S. in New York.
For complete coverage of IU basketball recruiting, GO HERE.
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