Kentucky commit Somto Cyril shines in showdown against Boozer twins

On Saturday night in Atlanta, Kentucky men’s basketball class of 2024 four-star commit Somto Cyril put on a show against two of the nation’s most talented high school prospects.

In a preseason matchup between Cyril’s Rod Wave Elite of Overtime Elite and the Explorers — a Florida-based high school — it was the future Wildcat who shined above the rest. Going up against class of 2025 twins Cameron and Cayden Boozer, Cyril posted an impressive stat line of 17 points and 18 rebounds on 6-11 shooting in a little over 24 minutes. His impressive performance helped RWE easily cruise past the Explorers to the tune of a 94-75 final score.

The matchup of the night to watch was between Cyril and 6-foot-9 five-star power forward Cameron Boozer, who is considered the No. 2 overall high school junior in the country. Cameron still managed 20 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals, but Cyril and an explosive second-half performance from Karter Knox pushed RWE to the 19-point win. Cayden Boozer added 21 points and eight assists in the loss.

Through five preseason games for RWE, Cyril is averaging 12.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game on over 70 percent shooting from the field.

Cameron Boozer just TRIED Somto Cyril 😱 @CameronBoozer12 @somto_cyril pic.twitter.com/hALn0ZeIgF

— Overtime Elite (@OvertimeElite) October 22, 2023

Somto Cyril TIES the game at 33-33 with less than 2 minutes in Q2 👀 @somto_cyril

*basket counted after review pic.twitter.com/jkY3DSYzHE

— Overtime Elite (@OvertimeElite) October 21, 2023

Speaking of Knox, the class of 2024 five-star wing finished Saturday night with 26 points and seven rebounds on 7-15 shooting, including a 4-10 clip from beyond the arc. Knox is one of Kentucky’s top remaining targets. He’s down to a final four of UK, Louisville, South Florida, and the G League. Having Cyril as his teammate for this season (not to mention the longstanding relationship between John Calipari and the Knox family) should only help the Wildcats’ case as this recruitment begins to wind down.

Cyril and Knox actually played two games this weekend. A day before they took down the Boozer twins, they came away with an even easier victory on Friday night against Hoop Nation. RWE won that game 79-42 as Cyril posted a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds with two blocks on 3-4 shooting. Knox chipped in 17 points, three rebounds, five assists, and two blocks on 5-8 overall shooting.

Kentucky is also heavily recruiting the Boozer twins, who hold offers from the Wildcats and took their official visit to Lexington last month. Despite Saturday’s loss, they were the two bright spots for the Explorers. They played on Friday, as well, falling 76-71 to OTE’s Cold Hearts. Cameron went for 13 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and four steals in that loss while Cayden added 21 points, two assists, and three rebounds.