Since leaving the Bronx to come to Fayetteville, Boogie Fland has quickly evolved into a favorite of Arkansas basketball fans.
The freshman is easily living up to his billing as the No. 1 point guard in the 2024 class. He’s been a leader for John Calipari’s squad, helping the Razorbacks to a No. 23 ranking and 10-2 start with one game remaining before the start of SEC play.
Through those 12 games as Arkansas’ primary ball handler, Fland is averaging 15.3 points, 6.2 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals and only 2.0 turnovers in 33.3 minutes. He’s also shooting 43.3% from the field, 37.3% from beyond the arc and 84.8% from the free throw line.
The last time out, Fland went for 12 points and a career-high 11 assists against North Carolina A&T. It was the first points-assists double-double by an Arkansas freshman since Courtney Fortson did it against Oklahoma in 2008.
Those are excellent numbers and have already prompted fans to wonder how he stacks up with other great freshman guards in Fayetteville, so Best of Arkansas Sports thought we’d try to address that question.
The participants in our “study” include Fortson (2008-09), BJ Young (2011-12), Patrick Beverley (2006-07), Anthony Black (2022-23), Kareem Reid (1995-96), and Lee Mayberry (1988-89).
You may notice the exclusion of Razorback legends such as Corey Beck, Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon. Although they all had great debut seasons in Arkansas, all three were actually transfers from the JUCO ranks. We’re focusing solely on true freshmen here, apart from Kareem Reid, who had to sit out the 1994-95 season due to academic issues, making him the lone redshirt freshman. Although he certainly benefited from practicing with the eventual national runner-up Hogs.
(READ NEXT: How Boogie Fland Stacks Up To Calipari’s Greatest Alpha Guards)
A Statistical Breakdown
Before looking at the stats, it’s important to note each player’s strength of opponents through their first 12 games. Lee Mayberry and Kareem Reid, for instance, played five-plus quality basketball programs in their first few games including the likes of Texas and Missouri for Mayberry, and Michigan State and Auburn in Reid’s case. The tougher than usual contests almost certainly skew their stats in comparison to some of the others.
Boogie Fland has faced less high-quality competition comparatively than those two, but a stronger schedule than those seen by the likes of BJ Young or Courtney Fortson, who faced only one high-major opponent through 12 games.
Here is how these players rank in six statistical categories through their first 12 games as freshmen:
PPG
- Boogie Fland (15.3)
- Courtney Fortson (15.2)
- BJ Young (14.4)
APG
- Kareem Reid (7.4)
- Courtney Fortson (7.3)
- Boogie Fland (6.2)
RPG
- Courtney Fortson (5.4)
- Anthony Black (4.9)
- Patrick Beverley (4.6)
FG%
- Patrick Beverley (54%)
- Anthony Black (52%)
- Lee Mayberry (52%)
3PT%
- BJ Young (45%)
- Patrick Beverley (43%)
- Courtney Fortson (40%)
Fewest Turnovers
- BJ Young (23)
- Boogie Fland (24)
- Patrick Beverley (25)
Boogie Fland ranks fourth in rebounds per game with 3.6, sixth in FG% (43%) and fifth in 3Pt% (37%).
What Can We Take From This?
Going by the numbers, it’s clear that the two frontrunners for best freshman through 12 games are Courtney Fortson and Boogie Fland. Fortson landed in the top three in PPG, APG, RPG, and 3PT%, while Fland did the same in PPG, APG, and TO.
Below are their points, rebounds, assists, and turnover numbers side by side for comparison’s sake:
- Fland: 15.3 PPG, 6.2 APG, 3.6 RPG, 24 Turnovers
- Fortson: 15.2 PPG, 7.3 APG, 5.4 RPG, 48 Turnovers
That last number is what really separates the two though, because while Boogie Fland has shown a veteran-like ability to distribute without many mistakes, Fortson did the opposite. The Pelphrey-era gem produced 48 turnovers through 12 games, doubling Fland’s total, and giving him by far the most out of the seven players.
Turnovers are an especially harmful statistic. Not only do they often precede four or six point swings, they also commonly decide the outcome of a tightly contested game. They can be even more destructive to the ego of a young guard playing high-level college basketball, especially when you’ve been so highly praised in your high school days. Luckily for Boogie Fland, he hasn’t had to worry too much about harming his team with his own faux pas.
It’s also worth reminding you that Fortson played by far the easiest schedule out of the aforementioned players, allowing him to “stat pad” just a little. Although Fortson deserves his high praise for being as electric as he was, it seems Boogie Fland has the Montgomery, Ala., native beat, perhaps earning himself the title of having the hottest start of any Arkansas guard ever.
Another interesting trend through 12 games is that Razorback legend Lee Mayberry is at the bottom of five of the seven statistical categories. He and Kareem Reid both find themselves at the bottom of many of these statistics, although Mayberry ended his career with nearly 2,000 points and Reid with nearly 1,500, both accumulated over four years of play, a rarity in today’s landscape.
Fland will almost certainly spend only one year in Fayetteville before heading off to the 2025 NBA Draft as one of the top available guards. So, while the sample size for Reid and Mayberry will be much larger, if Fland continues on this trajectory, he could still go down as the best point guard to ever put on an Arkansas jersey in terms of single season production.
Which Arkansas Great Is Fland Most Similar To?
Fland’s game was highly praised in the preseason, Sports Illustrated’s staff put out a scouting report in August and had this to say about Calipari’s new toy: “Known for being a highlight reel scorer, Johnuel “Boogie” Fland is much more than that. He also possesses traits that will allow him to play lead guard when needed and facilitate for others. He’s definitely built with a thin frame and is smaller than many modern guards, but the Arkansas freshman makes up for it in other ways.”
The small frame of Fland is particularly similar to the most professionally successful of the Arkansas guards we’ve discussed, Patrick Beverley. Both are 6-foot-2 and floated around 180 pounds at Arkansas, although Beverley’s frame was a little more built out.
Playstyle-wise though, Boogie’s game is a little more controlled, but still similar to Courtney Fortson or Kareem Reid, Fland’s fellow Bronx, NY native. His frame is too small to be compared to the likes of Anthony Black though; Lee Mayberry, while very similar in stature, was more explosive than Fland:
Another similar comp is BJ Young, who also had a nearly identical frame to Fland. Young’s game tempo and size mixed with the passing and playmaking of Courtney Fortson would create a Fland-like prototype, although Fland probably has them beat in terms of shooting, despite Fortson’s misleading hot start to his career from three.
While the first 12 games of a player’s career ultimately don’t decide much, for Boogie Fland, they represent a third of his college career already having passed. Guys like this don’t come around often, so try to enjoy him as you did the other Razorback greats.
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