FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Razorbacks freshman guard Boogie Fland is set to begin his college career as a senior point guard. Arkansas prioritized the 5-star combo guard once first-year coach John Calipari made his transition from Kentucky and it appears he put all his eggs in Fland’s basket.

His skills were never more evident than in his debut against Kansas and TCU in an exhibition game two weeks ago. Fland’s smooth shooting, ability to create turnovers and initiate offense as the primary ball handler benefited the Razorbacks as he averaged 17 points, five assists, four steals and two rebounds per game. match.

“Well, I think when we recruited him, we all knew he had the ability to do it,” assistant coach Chuck Martin said. “He’s certainly a talented young man. We saw him. We evaluated him, so we had an idea of ​​what we were getting, but you know, when you see him live and you see him play like he did it in the Kansas game, that’s good to see.

“Sometimes when the lights come on, these guys are young and they don’t react the way we thought they would, but he’s been pretty good, so we’re excited about Fland.”

After speaking with high school coaches from around the state invited to attend Arkansas practices over the summer, they all came away impressed with Fland. One even said the Bronx native was the smoothest player on the court.

Fland’s promise validated everything Arkansas coaches saw in recruiting the combo guard. He will depend on him a lot, but he will be able to rely on veteran leaders.

He shot 50% during the preseason game, but struggled behind the arc making only 2 of 11 attempts. His ability to create off the dribble was effective, however, especially in the game against Kansas, in drilling shots at all three levels.

“Offensively, we understood what he was capable of when we recruited him,” Martin said. “I think defense is probably the biggest challenge for a lot of kids. Personally, I was pleasantly surprised with the way he defends. He’s tougher than people give him credit for. He’s stronger than that. that people attribute to him.

“He knows when to anticipate certain actions on the defensive side of the ball, which allows him from time to time to shoot into spaces and get a deflection or get a steal. He’s been very good defensively. We’re pleasantly surprised and excited about it.”

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