By james art The best compliment I’ve heard for Arkansas freshman Boogie Fland — and there has been a flood of them, especially since his sensational debut — came from television commentator Seth Greenberg.
On Friday’s SEC Network broadcast, Greenberg worked the sidelines to interview coaches and players, while chipping in regularly alongside color analyst Jimmy Dykes and play-by-play man John Schrieffen.
Like most analysts, Greenberg was a coach before becoming a commentator. He spent 34 years out of college, 22 as a head coach, most recently at Virginia Tech, before becoming a distinguished college basketball analyst at ESPN.
“Boogie reminds me of Kyrie Irving,” Greenberg said. “Little Kyrie Irving on his game. With his panache, his ability to change speeds, create angles to deflect his punches, and he can get great separation. He goes left or right.’
Quite a comparison, quite a compliment. Irving was the No. 2 recruit coming out of high school 14 years ago. He averaged 17.5 points at Duke but played in just 11 games as a freshman due to a toe injury. He left Duke after that short season and was the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Irving, 6-2, 195 pounds, is an eight-time NBA All-Star and won a championship as the runner-up to LeBron James in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Can Bland meet or exceed that resume? Only time will tell, but the point guards have similar experience. Fland is from the Bronx, Irving from New Jersey. Both are good 3-point shooters with the ability to finish at the rim.
Greenberg is from the New York area and knows what he’s talking about. Bland was considered the top point guard in the 2024 prep class, earned New York City MVP honors and was quite the catch when he signed with Kentucky and coach John Calipari.
When Calipari left Kentucky to coach Arkansas, Bland happily followed him to Fayetteville. In his party in front of a sold-out crowd at Bud Walton Arena, Bland had pretty good stats: 22 points, five assists, six steals, two turnovers in 35 minutes.
The only blemish for Bland was 1-of-6 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. He was 7 of 9 on 2-point shots and 5 of 7 at the charity stripe.
Bland showed the ability to score with both feet, on floaters in the lane, on fadeaway 14-footers, and by getting to the paint with both hands off the dribble. He reads the floor with or without the ball; his backdoor shot in the half court attack resulted in an easy layup.
Greenberg said good guards can change speed or direction. “Great guards can change speed AND direction,” he added. Boogie can do both. “He plays low and for contact.”
Like another great Arkansas point guard throughout his four-year career, Fland also shined defensively against Kansas. Razorback legend Lee Mayberry led Arkansas to the Final Four in 1990, was drafted in the first round and played seven years in the NBA.
I can hear Calipari in my ear right now — and everyone else’s — so I don’t get too carried away after just one exhibition game. This was the first time I saw Fland and it didn’t take me long to appreciate all the good things he does on the basketball floor.
I’m all for restraint when it comes to anointing young players, and it’s hard to call someone the greatest in school history if he hasn’t been doing it very long. I would say that the one-off guys aren’t often called the best.
You usually worry about young players reading how great they are on websites and social media. Coaches worry they’ll forget what got them there in the first place and trade hard work for arrogance.
In a post-match interview, Bland didn’t seem the type to believe the hype or lose his edge. At the end of the interview, he simply said, “Hey, Grandma. Hey, grandpa.”He looked pretty sturdy and humble to me.
So I’ll go ahead and say this: If Fland continues to combine Irving’s explosive offensive skills with Mayberry’s solid decision-making and defense, he could become the best point guard in Razorback history.
It’s a label Greenberg would likely agree with if the time warranted it. And it’s certainly a scenario that Calipari is sure to like.