Top-ranked point guard in 2024 recruiting class commits to Kentucky men’s basketball

On Wednesday during his podium appearance at SEC Media Day, Kentucky men’s basketball head coach John Calipari insinuated good things were to come for the Wildcats on the recruiting trail.

After being asked a question about the offseason additions of new assistant coaches Chuck Martin and John Welch, Calipari steered his answer in the direction of recruiting.

“He’s going to be tremendous for us. Already had an impact on our recruiting,” Calipari said of Martin.

“’24 is looking good, ’25 is looking even better,” Calipari added, referring to the 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes.

And on Friday afternoon, Calipari’s comments proved true.

Class of 2024 guard Boogie Fland — who is ranked by Rivals as the No. 1 point guard in the class and by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 20 overall player in the class — committed to Kentucky during a ceremony at his Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, New York, located just 30 miles north of New York City.

“I chose Kentucky because of the history of success with the guards that have come through there,” Fland told On3 about his commitment. “Coach Cal is going to challenge me to be the best version of myself.”

Long considered one of the top targets for Kentucky in the 2024 recruiting cycle, Fland is now UK’s second class of 2024 pledge, joining center Somto Cyril of the Atlanta-based Overtime Elite program.

Fland picked Kentucky from a small list of finalists that also included Alabama and Indiana, but Friday’s decision was purely between the Hoosiers and Wildcats.

The charismatic backcourt player visited Indiana over the summer and Kentucky (who offered Fland a scholarship in July 2022) in early September.

Fland told ESPN’s Paul Biancardi that his visit to UK was a major factor in his decision to commit to Kentucky.

Indiana head coach Mike Woodson and Calipari both made clear their desire to land Fland with several in-person visits to him: Calipari himself made three visits this fall to see Fland, and UK coaches have watched Fland play in settings ranging from the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Spain to this summer’s Nike EYBL season-ending Peach Jam event in South Carolina.

While Fland played his college recruitment close to the vest, Kentucky was viewed as the leader to earn his commitment in the weeks and days leading up to Friday.

In a video published by Rivals on Thursday morning, national prep basketball recruiting insider Rob Cassidy said “the vibes feel like Kentucky,” when discussing Fland’s then-upcoming commitment.

This confirmed what Cassidy had also said in both written and verbal form of late: UK had assumed the lead in Fland’s recruitment.

More rumors spilled out Thursday night linking Fland to a Kentucky commitment.

And on Friday, the Wildcats closed the deal.

“Just hearing from (Kentucky), hearing from everybody. Everything is just a blessing, I’m just grateful for the opportunity,” Fland told the Herald-Leader back in August 2022 when his recruitment was just starting.

“Being from New York, not many of these opportunities come. To be one (of the people) that it came to, I put in the hard work, I just feel like my hard work paid off, it’s always about hard work. Every kid in New York, if you’re watching this, know that hard work pays off... Trust your work.”

In an interview with Krysten Peek of Rivals earlier this month during a USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp in Colorado, Fland provided insight on what the recruiting message from Kentucky has been to him.

“If you’re not ready to be in that fire, then (Calipari) just says ‘Don’t come,’” Fland said. “But if you are, and he knows you are, then he’s definitely going to tell you to ‘Come on, come home son.’”

Boogie Fland commitment gives UK clarity in backcourt

Measured at that USA Basketball camp at 6-foot-2, Fland averaged 14 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game this year when playing for the PSA Cardinals travel basketball team on the Nike EYBL circuit.

He helped carry that squad to the quarterfinals of the Nike EYBL season-ending Peach Jam event in July in South Carolina.

Considered an elite shot maker with good court vision, Fland has more experience playing off the ball, but often served as an offensive initiator when playing with PSA Cardinals.

He’s also an aggressive defender who looks for steals, and Fland projects as a player who can play either the “1” or “2” spots for the Wildcats next season.

“(I’ve) always seen Fland as a hybrid guard, a guy who can take over and dominate stretches of the game,” Brian Reichert, who covers prep basketball in the New York City area for Rivals, told the Herald-Leader earlier this year.

“I see him as a “1” at the next level if I had to put a number on it.”

Fland will fill a position of clear need for the Cats next season: Current freshman guards Rob Dillingham and D.J. Wagner are likely to be one-and-done players at Kentucky, and fifth-year Antonio Reeves will be out of college eligibility.

While Kentucky is in a good place with other class of 2024 recruits including Billy Richmond and Karter Knox — both of whom have Kentucky among their top four schools and professional pathways — a backcourt presence was a clear missing piece for next year’s UK squad.

Kentucky had already missed out on Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn), Ian Jackson (North Carolina), Tre Johnson (no longer considering UK) and Ahmad Nowell (UConn) as 2024 backcourt recruits.

Securing Fland’s commitment — and at such an advanced date prior to the early signing period in November — fills a need for UK while providing a blue print for players at other positions being recruited by Kentucky.

There’s also a few additional factors with Fland’s commitment that will give UK fans extra joy.

He’s now in line to become the latest Kentucky basketball player to come from the New York City area, following in the footsteps of the likes of Jamal Mashburn, Jacob Toppin and Doron Lamb.

In addition to being a basketball hotbed, New York City is home to a dedicated base of UK alumni.

UK has also now scored a significant recruiting win over Indiana, just a few weeks removed from the official announcement of the restart of the Kentucky versus Indiana regular season series.

“We had to move it back because our schedule, we have one of the toughest schedules in the country every year, so we moved it out a little bit,” Caliapri said Wednesday afternoon at SEC Media Day. “I think it’s good for both programs. Excited to get started with it.”

Fland’s commitment to UK over IU came on the same day as Indiana’s Hoosier Hysteria, the school’s annual event signifying the start of the men’s and women’s basketball seasons.

UK will play its annual Blue-White Game on Saturday night in Highland Heights.

Wildcat fans will also have plenty of chances to watch Fland play against top-level competition in the coming months.

Fland’s Archbishop Stepinac team will play a bevy of national, name-brand opponents in prestigious events this season.

Already, Stepinac is slated to play in the following:

▪ Hoophall West in Arizona from Nov. 29 to Dec. 2

▪ City of Palms Classic in Florida from Dec. 18-23

▪ Jordan Holiday Classic in New York City on Dec. 29

▪ Spalding Hoophall Classic in Massachusetts from Jan. 11-15, 2024

Top-ranked guard Boogie Fland commits to Kentucky. What does it mean for UK basketball?