New team fits 4-star F Boatwright
Click Here to view this video.
Advertisement
Sun Valley (Calif.) Village Christian forward Bennie Boatwright spent the past couple travel seasons playing for the California Supreme in the Nike EYBL. Earlier this year, the four-star prospect decided to switch teams and play for the adidas-sponsored Game Point.
Boatwright says the decision has paid off so far.
"AAU season has been going really well," Boatwright said. "It's been really fun playing with Justin Simon and the rest of the team. I've been playing well too. I'm trying to find my shot and be as versatile as possible."
Boatwright has been a known commodity in recruiting circles for a few years now and has reeled in offers from schools all over the country. In recent months though, four schools seem to be pushing the hardest to receive his signature in November.
"I've been talking to California, Arizona State, Connecticut and Washington the most. There are some other schools I've been talking to, but it's more with those schools. I also talk to Kansas, UCLA, Arizona, USC and Florida a little bit too."
The 6-foot-8 combo forward has a trio of unofficial visits coming up later in June.
"We're going up to see Washington, Washington State and Gonzaga in a couple weeks. Those are the only visits I have set for right now."
Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar's track record of winning and putting players in the NBA appeals to Boatwright.
"I really like Coach Romar. I like the culture there. They put a lot of players into the NBA."
California's new staff hit the ground running when they arrived in Berkley just a couple months ago. In the short time they have been recruiting Boatwright, they have made a strong impression on him.
"I talk to the Cal coaches a lot. Coach [Yanni] Hufnagel and Coach [Cuonzo] Martin, they are really good people. I really like their school. I went on an unofficial visit there last year and really liked it. We walked around and saw the whole campus. It's a place where you can learn and get better as a player."
Arizona State, like California, had Boatwright on campus last year for a visit and showed him a good time.
"I really like Arizona State too. I went on an unofficial there as well. I saw them practice, saw their facilities, and they took me around the campus. They have really good coaches and develop players."
Connecticut, the reigning national champion, has had success recruiting in California under Kevin Ollie and hope that success continues in the 2015 class with Boatwright.
"Coach Kevin Ollie is a great coach. He's a really genuine guy. I trained with Deandre Daniels a lot when I was younger, and he's always telling me good things about their program. I saw their campus last year too and it was nice."
Like most prospects, Boatwright plans to finish up his final travel season before making any official cuts to his list. After July, he'll move forward with the recruiting process and hopes to end it relatively quickly.
"I'm going to narrow my list down after AAU season, and I'll commit during August or September after I take a few visits. I'm just looking for a family atmosphere where I'm comfortable. That's when I play my best."
Eric Bossi is the national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.
Click Here to view this Link.
[rl]