NCAA Basketball: Analyzing early contenders for 2024 5-star Boogie Fland
St. John’s Red Storm
A few months ago, there probably was no way St. John’s could land a player like Fland, despite technically being the “local” option for him. But the hire of head coach Rick Pitino makes them suddenly much more appealing for top-tier prospects. They just landed former Notre Dame commit and top-100 wing Brady Dunlap for next season, while also being in the mix for five-star prospect and former Duke commit, Mackenzie Mgbako.
The Red Storm is likely starting senior guards, Daniss Jenkins and Nahiem Alleyne, next season. Both of them will be gone and it would set things up nicely for Fland to come in and be the other face of the program next to Coach Pitino. If they can land Mgbako and have success with him, that would make things easier on the recruiting trail for St. John’s in the 2024 class.
UConn Huskies
The Huskies are still dealing with backcourt questions for next year, as both Tristen Newton and Andre Jackson are in the NBA Draft process. Regardless, both will definitely be gone, as well as the nearly 10 apg combined with them. That would leave Stephon Castle, an incoming five-star prospect commit, to potentially run the offense.
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Odds are good that Castle could be a “one and done”, leaving the backcourt wide open for Fland to come in. And coming off winning a national title, Coach Dan Hurley’s profile has raised exponentially and makes it easier to recruit. We’ll see if they can use the newfound momentum to become a player in the Boogie Fland sweepstakes.