Boogie Fland shines, hits go-ahead shot in 2024 McDonald's All-American Game

Jayden Quaintance is the star of Kentucky’s 2024 recruiting class, but on Tuesday night, it was his future teammate Boogie Fland who shined the brightest.

At the 2024 McDonald’s All-American Game in Houston, TX, Fland (4-star; No. 19 overall) finished with 17 points for the East, hitting the go-ahead putback bucket with under 60 seconds left that lifted his squad to an 88-86 win over the West. Fland also chipped in five rebounds and three assists while shooting 6-14 from the floor, including a 3-6 clip from long range.

After playing just 12 minutes through the first three quarters, Fland’s head coach elected to play him for the entirety of the fourth quarter. That move paid off in the form of a win and should be a positive sign of things to come for the Big Blue Nation.

Elsewhere, Quaintance (5-star; No. 8 overall), who was teammates with Fland on the East, was all over the place as the youngest player on the floor. The 6-foot-10, 16-year-old posted a stat line of nine points, seven rebounds, three assists, four steals, and one block on 4-5 shooting in 14 total minutes. If he wasn’t mucking it for rebounds, he was playing sound defense with very active hands.

For the West, future Wildcat Karter Knox (4-star; No. 21 overall) did not see any action in the fourth quarter, but still managed nine points on 4-6 shooting in his 12 minutes. He drilled his only three-point attempt and also grabbed a rebound. Knox hit a couple of tough, contested shots.

All in all, it was an unexpectedly exciting McDonald’s All-American Game. There was real defense being played and both sides clearly wanted the win down the stretch. Fland stood out, Quaintance showed plenty of flashes, and Knox can flat-out score the ball.

Not a bad outing for half of Kentucky’s 2024 recruiting class.