John Calipari sends farewell message to Arkansas guard Boogie Fland following transfer portal decision
Arkansas coach John Calipari bade farewell to guard Boogie Fland, who decided to place his name in the transfer portal after an eventful season with the Razorbacks.
The former five-star prospect, who initially declared his eligibility for the NBA draft, entered the portal hours before the Tuesday midnight deadline to keep his options open, per ESPN's Jeff Borzello.
Hours later, the Hall of Famer and former national champion coach wrote on X that he expects the 18-year-old Bronx native to focus on his draft preparations. Calipari believes Fland has the "IT" factor to make it to the NBA and be a star in the future.
Fland appeared in 21 games for the Razorbacks, averaging 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He had a good start to the regular season until he suffered a thumb injury in January that forced him to miss the remainder of the SEC regular season and tournament.
However, the guard returned in time for the NCAA Tournament. He was a valuable contributor for Arkansas in the first two rounds of March Madness against Kansas and St. John's.
Fland averaged 6.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.5 apg and 2.0 spg in those games. He saw limited action against Texas Tech in the Sweet 16, playing nine minutes and finishing with one rebound and one assist.
Mock drafts expect Boogie Fland to be picked in the late first round or the early second round
Various mock drafts have placed Arkansas one-and-done Boogie Fland as a late first-round pick or early second-rounder in the 2025 NBA draft in June.
CBS Sports' Kyle Boone sees the Brooklyn Nets picking the point guard as its 26th overall pick, while Tankathon places him as the No. 30 pick for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Meanwhile, ESPN projected him as the 38th pick for the San Antonio Spurs while Bleacher Report matched him with the Orlando Magic, who are set to select the 44th pick in the annual event.
Bleacher Report claimed that Fland's performance in Arkansas isn't worthy of a first-round selection, as he lacked creation and playmaking skills to qualify him as a future starting point guard.
ESPN wasn't satisfied with the guard's experience at Arkansas, citing the thumb injury he suffered in the middle of the SEC regular season.
Fland was initially projected as a high first-round draft choice and he was performing like one until that unfortunate incident against Florida on January 11.
However, all is not lost for the young playmaker, as some players were picked in the low rounds and eventually became successful in the NBA.
A perfect example is Nikola Jokic, who was selected 41st overall in the 2014 draft. Years later, he was a three-time MVP and an NBA champion in 2023 with the Denver Nuggets.