Prospect Spotlight: AJ Boyd (2018)
Over in Largo, 2018 Pinellas Park guard A.J. Boyd is proving his worth day by day.
He averaged a team-best 14 points per game as a junior which included performances of 27 points against Palm Harbor University and 23 points against St. Pete.
At 6’2″, Boyd uses his pure speed to dash by defenders. This is what he said he learned this past season.
“The most important part I noticed that grew in my game was my scoring my ability to drive to the cup,” Boyd told Prep Hoops Florida. Also, my ability to shoot the lights out of the gym and my defense my ability to slide my feet and stay in front of a point guard and get steals.”
He’s playing his first summer with Team 727. Boyd says he’s focused on getting into the gym as much as possible, going hard in tournaments and picking up interest from colleges at the very least.
“What I like about the program are the coaches and how they push and see potential in me,” Boyd said. “Coach [Anan] Smith, coach Ric [Lenholt] and coach Jimmy [McSorley] all trust me to be the leader of the team and push my teammates to go hard and make them better.”
Boyd pointed to his ability to handle the ball, shoot and play lockdown defense as his biggest strengths. He’s aiming to finish with his left better and to finish with contact.
“I want to make my all around game better, I want to try to be on a whole other level than everyone else,” he said.
No offers or interest have come yet for Boyd. The kid can play ball. He rarely misses open looks and his range is impressive. As he adds more aggressiveness to his game that will pair well with is overall speed. Look for Boyd to come into his own even more as a senior.
Film study: Boyd knocks down the 3