Not long ago, Arkansas signed three McDonald's All-Americans in a single class and had the Razorbacks near the top of recruiting rankings and national hype everywhere.
Fast forward just two years, and Arkansas has two McDonald's All-Americans incoming and has been the most talked about program of the offseason thus far. Five-star signee and "Burger Boy" Boogie Fland brings even more hype and notoriety to the basketball machine in Fayetteville.
A top-10 recruit according to Rivals hailing from New York, Fland is poised to have a massive freshman year under Arkansas head coach John Calipari. He is the second-highest ranked recruit out of high school to commit to Arkansas behind former Hog guard Nick Smith Jr.
Fland's recruitment to Arkansas was fairly brief, as he followed Calipari from Kentucky, so fans might be unfamiliar with his game as a whole.
HawgBeat has you covered with a full breakdown of Fland including stats, highlights, offensive and defensive attributes and intangibles:
Bio and Stats:
Hometown: White Plains, New York
High School: Archbishop Stepinac
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 155
Years of Eligibility: 4
Accolades: McDonald's All-American, two-time city champion, U17 Team USA
Highlights:
Offense:
The five-star ranking isn't just for show. Fland possesses an immense amount of talent, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. The first thing I noticed in reviewing his film was how smooth he is with the ball in his hands. He can break down defenders at a high level, as he changes his pace and direction on a dime. For a high school prospect, he exhibits next-level patience.
Fland fits a true point guard mold because of those abilities, as he sets up defenders well by utilizing ball screens, has exceptional court vision and his change of pace allows for him to get to the basket at a high rate. The New York prospect finishes at the rim at a high clip, while also scoring in the midrange.
He uses his 6-foot-3 frame to rise and fire againsThe five-star ranking isn't just for show. Fland possesses an immense amount of talent, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. The first thing I noticed in reviewing his film was how smooth he is with the ball in his hands. He can break down defenders at a high level, as he changes his pace and direction on a dime. For a high school prospect, he exhibits next-level patience.
Fland fits a true point guard mold because of those abilities, as he sets up defenders well by utilizing ball screens, has exceptional court vision and his change of pace allows for him to get to the basket at a high rate. The New York prospect finishes at the rim at a high clip, while also scoring in the midrange.
He uses his 6-foot-3 frame to rise and fire against off-balanced defenders in the paint, and he has good enough footwork to score in several ways inside. Fland thrives in the pick-and-roll offense with his shooting, driving and general scoring ability paired with his court vision to keep defenses on their toes.
Although Fland will likely be used in a primary ball-handler role, he also thrives off the ball. He has a knack for setting defenders up for screens away from the ball, as well, and works hard to get open. He can get open off curls and by slashing but the primary focus for Fland at Arkansas will be on-ball point guard production.
The jump shot is potentially one of the more underrated parts of Fland's game, as he can catch and shoot from range at a high clip and even shoot off the dribble. More likely than not, Fland will be able to space the floor more than people expect. He shot 36.8% from behind the arc as a senior while averaging 19.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
As a whole offensively, the three best parts of Fland's game so far are his patience, his body control and his court vision. Those three should translate to the next level, along with other skills like his ballhandling and scoring, to make him a viable option for the Razorbacks at the point guard position as a freshman.a numbert off-balanced defenders in the paint, and he has good enough footwork to score in a number of ways inside. Fland thrives in the pick and roll offense with his shooting, driving and general scoring ability paired with his court vision to keep defenses on their toes.
Although Fland will likely be used in a primary ball-handler role, he also thrives off the ball. He has a knack for setting defenders up for screens away from the ball, as well, and works really hard to get open. He can get open off curls and by slashing but the primary focus for Fland at Arkansas will be on-ball point guard production.
The jumpshot is potentially one of the more underrated parts of Fland's game, as he can catch and shoot from range at a high clip and even shoot off the dribble. More likely than not, Fland will be able to space the floor more than people expect. He shot 36.8% from behind the arc as a senior while averaging 19.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
As a whole offensively, the three best parts of Fland's game so far are his patience, his body control and his court vision. Those three should translate to the next level, along with other skills like his ballhandling and scoring, to make him a viable option for the Razorbacks at the point guard position as a freshman.
Defense:
Defensively, Fland is no slouch either. He has long arms that allow him to get into passing lanes and instincts that lead him to being a steal machine, as he averaged 2.4 steals per matchup as a senior and 2.1 per game over his high school career.
Fland has solid lateral quickness for a point guard and can stay in front of ball handlers, while he also isn't afraid to be physical on the defensive side of the ball. Fland's defensive IQ is already above average, as well, including his fundamentals.
At times he does have a tendency to chase his man away from the ball rather than keeping spacing, but that is a minor tweak that is easily fixable. Fland doesn't have the strength or girth to defend multiple positions at the next level at this current time, but an offseason in the weight room could assist with that.
In high school, Fland was a willing rebounder on the defensive glass and I expect that to be the same at the college ranks, but I'm unsure if it will translate in numbers on a stat sheet. 5.3 of the 6.6 rebounds per game he averaged as a senior were on the defensive glass.
Because of his ability to generate steals and get defensive rebounds along with his on-ball instincts and fundamentals, Fland projects as a nearly college-ready defender. An off-season fixing some tendencies and adapting to defending college-level players will serve him well.
Intangibles:
It is harder to give intangibles to incoming freshmen than for players with a college history because players can be completely different in this realm than they were as seniors in high school.
That said, Fland has a very high motor and an elite competitive nature, both of which cannot be overstated in terms of a prospect's success at the next level. As long as he maintains both of those traits in the transition to college basketball, he will be able to continue to develop and contribute early.
He has shown flashes of leadership ability and with as much raw talent as he possesses, Fland is equally as dedicated to the process of working to get better. He is also accustomed to winning, as he hails from one of the top high school programs in the country in Archbishop Stepinac.
Fland's team finished 26-4 this past season and won a second straight AA City Championship. He also has experience competing on big stages, as he shined for Team USA at the U17 FIBA World Cup in Spain in 2022.
