By SAM LANCE
KANSAS CITY — With his father Carlos Boozer in attendance at Nike EYBL Session 4, five-star Cayden Boozer had something special in store. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard from Columbus High School (FL) and the Nightrydas Elite AAU program torched defenses on Saturday, tallying 27 points across two games while only missing four shots from the field.
After the games, Boozer caught up with ZAGSBLOG.com to discuss the latest on his recruitment. The guard named five schools recruiting him hardest: Miami, Duke, UNC, Arkansas and Kentucky. Here is his breakdown of each program:
Miami: “They play really fast and I feel like they are kind of a pro-style offense. I love their program. They made the Final Four two years ago and they are just trying to become a team that’s always getting into the tournament. Obviously, they didn’t have their best year last year but they’re always trying to be one of those top teams.”
On head coach Jim Larrañaga: “He’s a great coach. He’s really wise. He knows a lot about the game, has a lot of experience. He has coached a lot of teams, small divisions and Power Five. So I mean with all that experience, I feel like I can learn a lot from him.”
Duke: “Their playstyle is great. I like how their guards get involved. They can play on and off the ball. Every Duke guard that I see, they always just get better while they are there. It prepares them for the NBA.”
On head coach Jon Scheyer: “I feel like I have a good relationship with him. We talk every week just about basketball, or whatever. We just talk a lot and I have a good relationship with him.”
UNC: “They have a lot of good guards. RJ Davis, Elliot Cadeau, all those guards are really good. They help their guards play well and they produce a lot of wins because of those guards. So I feel like it’s a great playstyle for a guard.”
On head coach Hubert Davis: “He’s just a great coach, a good person to talk too. He’s one of the best coaches in college right now, so it’s always good to talk to him, a coach like that.”
Arkansas: “Obviously I’ve talked to coach [John] Calipari. I feel like my relationship with him is good. When I went on the visit, he was still at Kentucky, but I know what it is, how he wants to develop his players and get them into the league. I don’t know anything about Arkansas to be honest, but I’m definitely interested to learn.”
Kentucky: “I’ve only gotten one phone call. I don’t know much about his program. But we’re just trying to build that relationship and I’m trying to learn more about [Mark Pope’s] program. Kentucky is a great school, national championship school. I think it has the most national championships, I’m not sure. It’s up there, so I mean, they are a really good school and a really good winning program.”
All five head coaches were in Indianapolis to watch Boozer play during the live period last weekend.
Boozer has a busy summer and is trying out for USA basketball in June and July, so he is not sure when he will be able to take visits. He also isn’t sure which schools he will go to.
“Just depends on what teams ask to visit,” Boozer said.
Boozer has already taken official visits to Duke, Miami, Florida and Kentucky when Calipari was still there. All these visits came prior to the 2024 college basketball season in September and October.
How coaches take care of their players, trust in the head coach and development will be the deciding factors in Boozer’s recruitment.
This summer, Boozer feels like he has expanded his game by improving his jumper and being more consistent with it. He also said his greatest attribute is his poise.
“I never get sped up or get worried,” Boozer said. “I just play my game.”
Cayden is the son of former Duke Blue Devil and two-time NBA All-Star with the Chicago Bulls Carlos Boozer. He also has a twin brother, Cameron Boozer, who is the No. 2 overall 2025 prospect and plays for Nightrydas Elite and Columbus as well. The biggest thing Cayden has learned from his father is to seize the present day.
“High school, college, all these things go by fast,” Boozer said. “So you just have to stay in the moment.”
Boozer’s favorite NBA player is Russell Westbrook and he said one of his weird hobbies is driving around blasting music.
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