'Boss' delivered when Lexington was in search of a basketball star
After Taveion Hollingsworth made his name synonymous with Fayette County basketball for two years, the city’s public schools needed a personality that could fill the void left after his departure.
It needed “Boss.”
Eric “Boss” Boone — technically ‘Lil Boss,' inspired after his father — left a sizable impression in his final season at Bryan Station High School. He averaged a double-double — 19.9 points and 11.3 rebounds — en route to being named the sole Mr. Basketball finalist out of the 11th Region. On Sunday night he was named to the Kentucky All-Star team.
A monster January performance in a top-three showdown with Scott County — 27 points, 15 rebounds and five steals in 31 minutes —elicited this tweet from local legend Rex Chapman: “Eric Boss Boone is the best HS player I’ve seen in KY this year. #StationDefenders”
“He played in the league. He played at UK. It just felt like, ‘Wow, I’m really on top in Kentucky,’” Boone said of Chapman’s praise. “It was just motivation to keep going. A lot of motivation.”
Bryan Station bowed out earlier in the postseason than desired in March after losing in a three-overtime 11th Region Tournament thriller, the longest game in the event’s history. Boone played 44 minutes before fouling out, ending his career with a 20-point, 14-rebound, 10-assist, four-steal showcase of his all-around basketball ability.
It’s Boone’s knack for crashing the boards that has his future school, Tallahassee Community College, particularly eager to bring him to Florida.
“That’s what they tell me all the time,” said Boone, who held a ceremonial signing on Thursday. “When a point guard crashes the board, they love that. If I can do that in their conference, I can go play somewhere big.”
“Big” isn’t just NCAA Division I basketball, but a Power Five school at that level. Several mid-majors were in contact with Boone this season, including Samford University, but none offered him a scholarship.
“A big DI is where I want to go, so I’d rather just take another route to get there,” Boone said.
Tallahassee Community College plays at the Division I level of the National Junior College Athletic Association. Head coach Mark White, entering his fourth season, is a native of Russellville and he’s had success developing gems from his home state. David Simmons, who played at Henderson County, was a key piece off the bench at Middle Tennessee State this season after transferring there following his sophomore year at TCC. Corey Douglas, a Ballard graduate who averaged 13.3 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds as a TCC sophomore, has signed with VCU.
White loaded up on Kentuckians in his latest class. Boone recently visited TCC with Doss’ Stephon Franklin and Valley’s Curt Lewis, two other guards in Kentucky’s class of 2018, and the trio decided after their visit that they would join forces down south.
Boone said he "talked up" Bryan Station teammate Terrance Clayton-Murphy and that there was some interest from TCC, but Clayton-Murphy ultimately committed to Shawnee Community College, a Division I junior college in Illinois.
“He’s gonna do well up there,” Boone said. “It’s a big accomplishment for us just signing anywhere. Still getting to play is a big part of it.”
He continued, laughing.
“Hopefully we play each other and I can see if he got a little better.”
This story was originally published April 19, 2018 at 12:47 PM with the headline "'Boss' delivered when Lexington was in search of a basketball star."