Boogie Fland came to Arkansas basketball last year widely viewed as the next one-and-done prospect under John Calipari, but the point guard from New York isn’t finished with his college career.
According to a report from ESPN, Fland is withdrawing from the NBA draft and will not participate in the rest of this week’s NBA combine. Fland entered the transfer portal on April 22 — final day it was open — and now appears destined to play next year away from the Razorbacks.
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Most mock drafts considered Fland a second-round draft pick after completing his first and only season with the Hogs. Calipari has had a first-round pick in 17 straight years, but that streak is in jeopardy this summer. ESPN’s latest mock released Monday night had Fland going 44th overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
More: John Calipari announces three Arkansas basketball players will return next season
Fland missed 18 games with a thumb injury he suffered in the Jan. 11 loss to Florida. He would go on to play two more games before shutting things down until the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Fland returned and played a key role in the Razorbacks’ win over Kansas, but he couldn’t find a rhythm across the next two rounds. He finished his freshman season averaging 13.5 points, 5.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. Perhaps the biggest highlight of his campaign was returning home to New York and scoring 20 points with seven assists in an 89-87 victory over Michigan inside Madison Square Garden.
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Fland was a five-star recruit coming out of high school in 2024, and he was originally committed to Kentucky before following Calipari to Arkansas. He was the second high school recruit to commit to Arkansas in the previous offseason, following Karter Knox.
Nov 6, 2024; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari talks to guard Boogie Fland (2) during the second half against the Lipscomb Bisons at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 76-60. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
Fland could still return to the Hogs, but Arkansas already has two point guards slated to be on next year’s roster and plenty of backcourt depth. D.J. Wagner and Billy Richmond III are returning to Fayetteville with the imminent arrival of five-star prospects Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas.
Arkansas is still awaiting a final decision from Karter Knox, who is going through the NBA draft process and taking part at the combine. Unlike Fland, Knox did not enter the transfer portal. He was not listed in recent mock drafts from ESPN, CBS or The Athletic.
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Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@gannett.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.Â
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Boogie Fland withdraws from NBA Draft | Report
