Several New Offers For Boykin

Jamal Boykin, the 6-foot-6, 210-pound combo forward from Fairfax Senior High School in Los Angeles, Calif., has quietly established himself as one of the most elite players in the class of 2005. His play throughout the spring and summer has caught the attention of some of the most successful high major programs in all of college basketball.

“Notre Dame and Virginia Tech are the newest schools to offer me a scholarship,” Boykin said. “Kansas called last week and I had the opportunity to speak to one of their assistant coaches. Reggie Theus from Louisville called as well. He is a friend of the family, so it was great to hear from him. We talked about the situation at Louisville and things like that. Because they have signed so many players during the last few weeks, I have eliminated Louisville from my list.”

Boykin is amazed that his recruitment has taken off the way it has. While he always knew he had the ability to be a player at the Division 1 level, Boykin never thought that so many high major programs would be interested in his services.

“I am so honored by the fact that so many schools are really showing a lot of interest in me,” Boykin said. “Coaches from Duke, Illinois, Boston College, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh have done a great job throughout the entire process. Making a final decision about what school to attend will be tough, but I know that it is apart of the process.

“I have scheduled an official visit to Duke in September,” he added. Coach “Coach (Mike) Krzyzewski called me last week and we had an awesome conversation. He told me not to worry about trying to impress him during the evaluation period. He also said that they are very interested in me, so I have nothing else to prove. Boston College, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh are the other schools that I plan to visit. Illinois was one of the first schools to offer me a scholarship, so I am going to give them a serious look as well.”