Kentucky basketball commits, targets show out at Hoophall Classic
Over the weekend, the annual Hoophall Classic took place at Springfield College up in Springfield, MA. This high-profile event draws in some of the biggest teams and players year in and year out — 2024 was no different.
A pair of Kentucky men’s basketball commits made the trip to the northeast. Boogie Fland and Billy Richmond each played one game at the event for their respective high school teams. Both played at a high level and even came away with wins, too.
But they weren’t the only ones in action over the last several days. A handful of Kentucky targets from the 2025 and 2026 classes also took the floor. And for the most part, they all put on impressive showings. Let’s take a closer look at everything that happened over the last few days in Springfield.
Billy Richmond showed off his range
Kentucky commit Billy Richmond is known as a slasher with the potential to be an elite on-ball defender. But during his lone game at Hoophall, the 6-foot-6 wing showed off his improving shooting range, too.
Richmond went 4-5 from beyond the arc during Camden (NJ) High’s lone outing in Massachusetts, finishing with a game-high 26 points, pacing his squad to a 67-62 win over North Mecklenburg (NC) and Duke commit Isaiah Evans. Richmond also chipped in four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block without recording a turnover in his 31 minutes. He shot 9-18 overall and 4-4 from the free-throw line, as well.
It’s always nice to see the NBA’s official YouTube account headlining a highlight video with Billy Richmond’s name, too. Richmond is considered a four-star prospect and the No. 21 overall recruit in the 2024 class by the On3 Industry Ranking. He also surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his high school career at this event.
Boogie Fland duels with Dylan Harper
The second of two Kentucky commits at this event, four-star point guard Boogie Fland didn’t do anything earth-shattering, but he did put together a solid performance in a win. Fland registered 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and one steal in Archbishop Stepinac’s (NY) 74-67 win over Don Bosco (NJ) Prep.
Fland played in 29 minutes for Stepinac, shooting 6-15 from the field and 4-8 from three-point land. He turned the ball over just twice. Fland went head-to-head against Don Bosco’s Dylan Harper, a five-star senior committed to Rutgers. Harper posted the better line with 22 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, but shot just 8-18 from the floor while turning the ball over five times.
Darius Acuff was a star (against Jasper Johnson, too)
To be more accurate, Darius Acuff is a star. If for some reason you haven’t bought your stock yet, go ahead and do so now. Suiting up for IMG (FL) Academy, the 6-foot-1 point guard played in two games at Hoophall, losing one and winning the other. IMG took down Sunrise Christian (KS) Academy 75-65 on Sunday before falling to Link (MO) Academy 65-49 on Monday. But Acuff shined in both.
In the first contest, the Detroit native went for a game-high 28 points on 12-20 shooting, including a 2-5 mark from deep. Acuff added nine assists and three steals to his line but also turned the ball over three times, as well. The following day, Acuff posted another game-high, this time dropping 25 points on 9-18 shooting on a 3-9 clip from long range. He also contributed five rebounds but did turn the ball over four times compared to just one assist.
Acuff is a borderline five-star prospect from the 2025 class as it currently stands, checking in at No. 10 overall according to the On3 Industry Ranking. Kentucky and Michigan are the lone schools to have received official visits from him so far. Acuff was listed as a top performer from both Sunday and Monday’s games by On3’s Jamie Shaw.
As you might have already pointed out, Link Academy, which beat Acuff and IMG, also rosters a top Kentucky target from the class of 2025.
Lexington, KY native Jasper Johnson was in action for Link against Acuff. While Johnson’s individual performance of 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals wasn’t up to the level of Acuff’s, his team came out with the 16-point win. Johnson shot 5-12 from the floor and 3-8 from distance in the victory. He’s ranked as the No. 12 overall high school junior by the On3 Industry Ranking and is being heavily recruited by the likes of Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Alabama, Southern California, Missouri, and Arkansas.
Boozer twins: still very good
Kentucky has offered both of the talented Boozer twins, Cameron and Cayden, and has even gotten the pair on campus for an official visit already. Cameron is ranked No. 2 overall in the 2025 class while Cayden isn’t too far behind at No. 15. The Boozers were in Springfield over the weekend with Christopher Columbus (FL) for a pair of matchups.
The first came on Saturday against a familiar face, VJ Edgecombe of Long Island Lutheran (NY), a former Kentucky target actually who committed to Baylor at this event. Columbus cruised to an 81-62 win as Cameron led the way with a game-high 26 points in addition to seven rebounds, four assists, and five blocks in just 26 minutes. He shot 9-12 from the field and 7-8 from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Cayden went for 17 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three turnovers on 7-11 shooting in his 30 minutes of action.
Two days later, Columbus met up with Paul VI (VA) High and was treated to a much closer affair. The Boozers still came out on top but by a score of 70-61. Paul VI even led by a point at halftime before Columbus ran away down the stretch.
In that game, Cameron and Cayden weren’t as efficient, but the numbers still jumped off the page. Cameron posted 14 points (4-11 FG), 13 rebounds, five assists, four steals, and four blocks while playing all 32 minutes — that’s stat-stuffing (in a good way) at its highest level. Cayden registered 17 points (6-11 FG), seven assists, two rebounds, and two steals while also playing all 32 minutes, however, he turned the ball over seven times.
Dybantsa, Stokes comes up short against Cooper Flagg
In what was arguably the biggest matchup of this entire event, No. 1 Montverde (FL) Academy and No. 2 Prolific (CA) Prep went head-to-head on Sunday. This game featured all three of the top-ranked prospects from the 2024, 2025, and 2026 classes.
Headlining the showdown was Duke’s Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 high school senior in the country. Flagg poured in 15 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks as Montverde took down Prolific 76-71. But what we’re interested in is what happened on the other end of the court. AJ Dybantsa (No. 1 in 2025) and Tyran Stokes (No. 1 in 2026) are both high-profile Kentucky recruits who suit up for Prolific.
Dybantsa put together a better showing than Stokes, finishing with 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists while playing all 32 minutes. The 6-foot-8 wing shot 8-19 from the field and 3-8 from long range. Meanwhile, Stokes chipped in 12 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two blocks while turning the ball over four times in his 31 minutes. Stokes shot 3-7 from the floor and went 6-11 from the charity stripe.
Koa Peat’s double-double leads Perry to victory
Our final note of this recap comes from 2025 five-star wing Koa Peat, who recently cut down his list of top schools to a Top 10 that includes Kentucky.
Peat — the No. 3-ranked high school junior — and Perry (AZ) High narrowly escaped Grayson (GA) High with a thrilling 64-63 win. Grayson trailed by 10 going into the fourth quarter and nearly marched all the way back to steal the victory.
But Peat and company had other plans. The 6-foot-8, 220-pounder finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and seven blocks in his 28 minutes of action. Peat shot 9-13 from the field (making his lone three-point attempt) and 4-6 from the line. Perry’s Barron Silsby hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer.
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