Bogans Old Recruiting Info - Never Lived Up to the Hype (YET !!!)

http://www.allsports.com/ncaa/basketball/kentucky/bogans.html


KEITH BOGANS


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December 30th 1998

Keith Bogans continues to slash and shoot his way to impressive numbers. Recently Bogans scored over 40 points on two occasions. Bogans rebounding numbers have been impressive as well, hauling in double digits in many games. Bogans HS coach, Morgan Wooten, said than in 43 years of coaching, he's never had two players better than Joe Forte (UNC signee) and Bogans. That would include Adrian Dantley, Danny Ferry, and Kenny Carr.

For those of who don't already know, Bogans is not a point guard. Don't expect him to fill the void left by Wayne Turner. In fact, some circles list Bogans as a small forward. Either way, at shooting guard or small forward, Bogans is a wing player. Bogans, like UK McDonald's All-Americans Tayshaun Prince and Wayne Turner, has an unorthodox shooting style. Reportedly, it ain't pretty, but it goes in. Unfortunately, that's the same reports we heard when the Cats signed Turner and Prince. Let's hope Bogans arrives a better shooter than these 2. At any rate, Bogans is said to be great at taking it to the hole, and is able to bury it deep when needed. Bogans should see immediate playing time for UK next season.

Bogans is generally rated as the nation's best prospect, and is no lower than second on anyone's list. Bogans should immediately fill the 2 guard hole left by Jeff Sheppard's graduation. This would allow Prince to move to small forward, his natural position.

Complete DeMatha Highschool Boxscores from the 1998-99 Season
Bogans & Forte Head DeMatha Elite
Recruiter OnLine Keith Bogans Scouting Report





October 1st 1998

Keith Bogans, the nations best 2 guard - showed no interest in any recruiter not wearing Kentucky Blue. He committed to UK on September 21, 1998 - just one day after making his official visit to the Cat Campus. Think about this folks: The nations top player never visits another school. He doesn't allow another coach, other than UK's Tubby Smith, to speak to him in his home. That's unheard of - and shows you 1) the great recruiting job done by Tubby and his staff (most notably George Felton) and 2) Bogans is an individual that knows what he wants.

By committing to the Cats, Bogans broke nearly every recruiting rule that famed DeMatha Highschool Coach Morgan Wooten had:

1) Always keep your options open. Allow more than one school to visit.
2) Never commit immediately following a visit. Allow time for emotions to cool down.

Cat fans aren't complaining, and should admire the fact that a player was this determined to play for Kentucky. In the past, players such as Bogans have simply drug the recruiting process out. But Bogans is a breath of freash air - he knew what he wanted, and made it clear to everyone (including other team's coaches who got the message early) early on. Bogans is a top player with no ego. We're looking forward to seeing Keith in a Wildcat uniform.





September 16th 1998

Look for two big basketball recruits to be in the crowd Saturday. Top 5 players Keith Bogans (WG) and Marvin Stone (C) will be visiting the UK campus this weekend. Both players have been rated as the nation's #1 player at one time or another. We believe that Stone & Bogans are taking one final look at UK before making it official. In fact, look for some commitments to start rolling in as early as next week if the visits go well. Not since Midnight Madness of '92 (ala Walter McCarty, Rod Rhodes, etc.) has there been such an exciting recruiting weekend. Getting Stone or Bogans to commit would be icing on the Big Blue Cake!





August 13th 1998

ESPN reviewed the senior wing guards today. None other than Keith Bogans is listed as #1.





August 7th 1998

Bogans really sounds impressed with the attention he's received by the UK coaching staff. In fact, as far as we're concerned, if the visit goes well this fall (can you say Midnight Madness?) this should be a done deal. He's saying that UNC's out of the race - which makes sense. They've got two great wing players in Jason Capel and Ron Curry coming in this fall. Now the biggest competition for Bogans could come from UConn, who's coaches have been following him around nearly as much as Tubby and George. Bogans, like many of these recruits and their HS coaches, seems very impressed with Coach Felton and Coach Smith. When Francis and Gibbons said that Felton was a great recruiter, they weren't kidding.





July 26th 1998

Recently Wilman discussed rumors surrounding the recruitment of Keith Bogans, the mega-talent wing player the cats are after. Actually the news wasn't good for cat fans. Bogans was quoted as saying that UNC was looking better and better. Not good news - especially considering that Bogans is from right in the heart of ACC country in Maryland. While UNC is believed to have only 2 scholarships to offer, they are making it known that Bogans is their top recruiting priority. Hopefully though Marvin Stone will commit early to UK, and then persuade his friend Bogans to follow.





July 1998

Keith Bogan's been putting on a show this week at summer camp. Bogan's sounds more and more like Kentucky everyday - especially if the cats land Stone. This from Prep Stars: "How good is Bogans? Brick Oettinger told us last fall that he is the closest thing he has seen to Michael Jordan... Another great comparison is Bogans with Kobe Bryant at the same stage in his career. I have yet to find anybody who saw a lot of both players in high school who doesn't think long and hard before deciding who is better."





July 1998

Keith Bogans didn't show at the Adidas camp. He was believed to be taking summer classes instead. Most recruiting analysts didn't let this affect his stock. Prep Stars compared him to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, and others have moved him up to #1 following Marvin Stone's subpar (according to CF) play this past week at the Nike camp. He's still got Kentucky way up on his list. ESPN's FastBreak Recruiting - who calls Bogans "sensational"- is predicting he'll sign with the cats.