LEXINGTON, Ky. _ Earlier this summer, Kentucky emerged as the favorite in the recruitment of five-star basketball prospect Brandon Boston.
It didn't take long for the Atlanta-area standout to become UK's first commitment for the class of 2020.
Boston _ a 6-foot-6 shooting guard _ committed to Kentucky on Saturday before wrapping up his official visit to Lexington, the first such trip of his recruitment and the only one he needed to figure out where he wanted to play his college basketball career.
Auburn, Duke and Florida were also on Boston's list of finalists. All of those schools had extended early scholarship offers and every one of those programs had also hosted him for unofficial visits, but it was Kentucky that got the first shot at him this summer, and the Cats won out.
Rivals.com ranks Boston as the No. 10 overall player in the 2020 class, and he also holds that spot in the most recent update of the 247Sports composite rankings. He has a reputation as one of the smoothest offensive players in the country.
"Brandon's a great scorer. He's a three-level scorer," Rivals.com national analyst Corey Evans told the Herald-Leader last month. "A light-bodied wing, great athlete that can play '1' through '3' on the offensive end. Once he fills out, he can defend the '2' through '4', hopefully. So he has a lot of unique qualities and versatility to him that you really love about where he can be down the road."
Boston averaged 22.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game on the Nike travel circuit this year. His 3-point percentage was down in 2019 _ going just 24.2% from deep this year _ but he shot better than 40% from long range during the 2018 Nike schedule and was 14 for 20 on 3s during last year's Peach Jam finals.
UK assistant coach Joel Justus has led the Wildcats' recruitment of Boston from the earliest stages of the process. Kentucky hosted Boston for an on-campus visit in August 2017, and John Calipari came through with a scholarship offer when he visited Lexington again for a game at Rupp Arena last February. The 17-year-old spoke highly of that trip in an interview with the Herald-Leader this spring.
"It was lit," he said with a big smile. "It was packed, crowded. Good environment and good people there."
As a junior, Boston averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game to lead Norcross (Ga.) High School _ the alma mater of UK great Jodie Meeks _ to the state semifinals. For his senior season, Boston has decided to transfer to Sierra Canyon (Calif.), a program that has emerged this summer as the hottest high school team in the country.
At Sierra Canyon, the new UK commitment will play alongside several high-profile teammates, including top-10 2020 prospect Ziaire Williams _ another Wildcats recruiting target _ as well as the sons of NBA stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, in addition to a few other highly touted recruits.
Boston will be eligible to officially sign with Kentucky in November.
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