ESPN 4-star prospect and University of Arkansas 2024 men's basketball target Annor Boateng made an unofficial visit to Fayetteville for the second time this summer Thursday.
He called the visit "very organized."
"As soon as I got there, they welcomed me," Boateng said. "They brought me in and introduced me to the strength coach, the trainers and they showed me around the facility They even had a presentation set up to show I fit their playing style and even talked about some of the accolades they've received over the years."
Boateng, 6-5, 203 pounds, of Little Rock Central, has scholarship offers from Arkansas, LSU, TCU, Auburn, Mississippi State, Arizona State, Oklahoma State and others. The Hogs were the first major college to offer him on Oct. 8, 2020.
ESPN also rates him the No. 16 small forward and the No. 45 overall prospect in the nation for the 2024 class.
He was named to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All Arkansas Preps second team after averaging 16.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.5 steals per game for the Tigers as a sophomore.
His strong play continued in the spring and summer with the 16-under Arkansas Hawks. UA coaches were a regular at his games during the evaluation periods.
Boateng's stock on the national level started to take off with his showing at the Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph camp in Duncanville, Texas, the fall before his sophomore season.
He was named the MVP of the Black squad after scoring 12 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in a 103-95 loss to the White team in the Cream of the Crop Top 30 game. The event featured 219 campers from 13 states.
Boateng was one of 34 players in the nation invited to the 2022 USA Basketball U17 national team training camp on June 18-25 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
An outstanding student, Boateng said he enjoyed touring Arkansas' state-of-the-art Jerry and Gene Jones Academic Center.
"They showed me all the accolades they have there and all of the available tutors there and they also showed me the dining hall," Boateng said. "It was a very welcoming experience.
"They had like multiple labs computer labs. They said they had 37 available tutors for student-athletes, There's always someone there to basically help you with your academics."
Boateng, who has a 3.8 grade-point average, said he has thought about majoring in mechanical engineering but is now also considering being a pharmacist.
"Academics are important to me because you never know where basketball will take you," he said. "The next day, it can all stop like that. Even if I make it long term [basketball career], there's going to be a point when basketball stops."
Razorback Coach Eric Musselman, assistants Gus Argenal, Anthony Ruta and recruiting coordinator Ronnie Brewer Jr. are in constant contact with Boateng.
"Coach Musselman texts me a lot," Boateng said. "Ronnie Brewer really texts me the most and I'm also in contact with Argenal, Ruta. They communicate with me a lot especially like after games. They also give me some feedback."
Last year, Boateng set out to improve his outside and three-point shooting, and the progress has been impressive.
"Attacking the rim is a strong suit for me, but now I'm able to get to my spots and knock down some jump shots," he said. "It's really stretched the floor for me, so it's made me harder to defend. I also really worked hard on my ball handling and I've seen a huge improvement there. My guard skills have improved a lot especially from last year."
Arkansas looks to be in a good position with Boateng.
"They're definitely a school to look at," Boateng said. "They're pretty up there compared to most of the schools I'm talking to, as far as me getting to know them a lot and communicating with them. They're probably a top option, but at the same time I still need to know everybody else in recruiting, getting to know these other colleges. As of right now, Arkansas is a really good option."
Email Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
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