Rick Pitino pays visit to Kentucky target Boogie Fland

Welcome back, John Calipari vs. Rick Pitino recruiting battles. You’ve been missed.

Kentucky‘s top point guard target in the class of 2024 is five-star standout Boogie Fland out of Archbishop Stepinac in Harlem, NY. The 6-foot-3 playmaker is ranked No. 1 at his position and No. 5 overall by On3, a consensus top-10 prospect.

Now, Pitino is throwing his hat into the ring, just one day removed from his introductory press conference at St. John’s.

Jacob Polacheck of KSR+ reports Pitino and assistant coach Steve Masiello — a former Kentucky walk-on and 1998 champion — will be in for Fland on Wednesday. The pair of St. John’s coaches will also check out four-star guard Danny Carbuccia, a top-30 prospect in the class of 2025.

St. John’s Rick Pitino and Steve Masiello will be in today to see @step_basketball guards Boogie Fland and Danny Carbuccia, per coach.

Fland holds an offer from Kentucky.

— Jacob Polacheck (@PolacheckKSR) March 22, 2023

Fland is one of very few prospects Kentucky is seriously pursuing in the junior class, earning a scholarship offer from the Wildcats back on July 13, 2022.

“It was a good one, about 30 minutes, just talking about the school, talking about him, talking about me,” Fland told KSR at the time. “It was nothing basketball related, just getting to know each other and building a relationship. But I would definitely say it was a good one. Definitely put a smile on my face. … Coach Cal is a good coach. It’s an honor to even get in contact with him.”

Kentucky, St. John’s, Connecticut, Alabama, North Carolina, Auburn, Illinois, Syracuse, Kansas, Michigan, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Villanova and Florida are among the dozens of offers Fland has received. What is the 6-foot-3 guard looking for in his future home?

“I’m looking for everything, you know? Play style, location, how I fit into their program,” he told KSR. “Are they a winning program? How are they in the locker room? Do they like each other? That’s the main thing. I mean, if you don’t like each other, it’ll show on the court.”

Fland was a member of the 2022 USA Basketball U17 National Team, helping lead the team to a gold medal in Spain. He averaged 4.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.1 steals per game off the bench for USA.

As a junior at Stepinac, Fland led his team to a CHSAA AA Championship, scoring 30 points in the title game and earning tournament MVP honors — an event held at St. John’s University.

Now, Pitino is hoping to use his home-court advantage to leapfrog to the front of the five-star guard’s recruitment, right there with Calipari and the Wildcats.