Explaining UK basketball recruit Brandon Boston’s extraordinary rise in the rankings
A positive bump in the recruiting rankings was expected for Kentucky basketball signee Brandon “BJ” Boston going into last week’s update to the Rivals.com national list.
The actual bump — from his previous standing of No. 17 in the class of 2020 all the way to No. 4 — was a somewhat surprising development. It’s rare for a prospect to move up that much within the five-star range this late in a recruiting cycle, but Boston is having that kind of season.
The 6-foot-7 shooting guard from Atlanta has been a different player since he headed to the West Coast to play his senior year of high school for Sierra Canyon (Calif.), the team that features two other five-star recruits, as well several more highly touted prospects, including the sons of NBA legends LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
On a roster with all that star power, Boston has been a constant source of production. Rivals.com national analyst Eric Bossi noted that Sierra Canyon has probably lost a couple more games than should be expected — given its level of talent — but a national schedule that has included stops in several states all across the country surely leads to a bit of fatigue. Through it all, Bossi said, Boston has been bringing his “A” game every night.
The future Wildcat has also, seemingly, changed his approach on the court, while showing off a few new skills along the way.
“He’s much, much better off the dribble than ever before. And maybe that’s a case of he could always do it, but we just never got to see it, because of the role he was being asked to play,” Bossi told the Herald-Leader. “But I think he’s definitely improved there. He definitely looks like a guy who got in the gym and said, ‘I want to be better.’
“And there’s kind of an edge he’s playing with that can be good, can be bad, but I like it, because he seems to be channeling it for good. There’s a little more trash talk, a little more antics on the court than we’ve seen in the past — he’d always been kind of a quiet-natured kid. Now, he’s really expressing his individuality and his personality. I think you see that from a lot of these great players. There aren’t many great players who are just kind of silent out there, who don’t ever talk a little bit of trash. He’s just come into his own.”
Bossi added that there’s a possibility Rivals.com had Boston a little underrated coming into this most recent rankings update. He had been as high as No. 7 in the class in the early part of last year, before a so-so — by five-star standards — showing on the summer camp circuit dropped his stock by 10 spots.
Boston has always had the talent and upside of a top-10 prospect, but the unevenness of this past summer gave analysts pause. Rivals.com wasn’t alone. ESPN had Boston at No. 12 until its recent midseason update bumped him to No. 6 nationally. 247Sports ranks Boston at No. 16, and that list won’t be updated until after the season.
What’s impressing scouts now is Boston’s ability to refocus and expand on his game following the relative bump in the road he experienced over the summer. And, while moving up 13 spots might not sound all that extraordinary, it’s much different when such a rise occurs at the very top of the rankings, where a player must pass several other highly proven potential superstars to pick up spots.
The timing of Boston’s rise has been equally impressive.
Off the top of his head, Bossi said the most recent example he could recall of a similar rankings bump this late in the recruiting calendar was Brandon Ingram, who catapulted from No. 18 early in his senior season to the No. 4 spot by the end of the 2015 cycle.
“You see those jumps a lot as sophomores or juniors, or maybe coming out of the summer before senior year,” Bossi said. “But you don’t see it quite as much in the latter half of a senior year as you’re nearing the final rankings, because there’s just not much new with these guys. We’ve seen them so much by that point. But the dude’s been awesome, and you have to give him his just due for that. … He’s balled. What else can you say?”
So, Boston goes into the latter half of the high school season ranked behind only former UK point guard target Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State), undecided shooting guard Jalen Green, and Southern Cal big man signee Evan Mobley. (And he’s now one spot ahead of future UK teammate Terrence Clarke, the No. 5 player on the Rivals.com board).
There’s not much higher for Boston to go in the 2020 rankings, but, at 18 years old, there’s always room for improvement. Listed at 185 pounds with a 6-7 frame, Boston’s biggest area for continued growth is obvious.
“Strength. He’s gotta get stronger,” Bossi said. “That is the number one thing. He can put it on the floor. He can shoot. He’s athletic. He’s got some post-up game, he’s got some mid-range game — he’s really got a nice, well-balanced game. It’s just that he’s skinny. The scouting report is going to be, ‘Hit that guy every chance you get.’ Right? ‘Check him with your hip. Give him a little elbow. Give him a little shoulder.’ And how he responds to that is going to be, I think, the biggest key for him.
“Because, everything else, I don’t think you can question with him anymore.”
