Prospect Spotlight: Za-Ontay Boothman (2020)
Buckeye had the pieces and kept building until they reached the final four of last year’s state tournament. They went toe to toe with the proverbial Goliaths and demonstrated that they are more than capable of competing with the top teams in the state and nation.
This group brings back the core of last year’s team as well as a key transfer in Isaiah Marin. One of the key players from last year’s team who has been making a name for himself this off-season is Zay-Ontay Boothman, also known as “Tay”. Boothman is a 6’1 PG/SG in the class of 2020. He participates with Powerhouse for club basketball.
Boothman is one of the best guards in the state and is more than ready to take the next step to ensure that his team is a contender this Winter.
Za-Ontay Boothman College Interest
At this point, Boothman has no offers, but claims to have “lots of interest”. He mentioned “UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, Northern Colorado, Denver, and Pepperdine” as some of the schools who have reached out about his services.
Boothman is without a doubt a next level prospect. He is explosive and one of the best scorers in his 2020 class. When he gets a rhythm, he can be absolutely lethal.
As far as what he is looking for in a school, he wants to find an “engaged coaching staff” and a school with a “great academic background”.
Za-Ontay Boothman College Projections
As noted earlier, Boothman can flat out fill it up. He scores the basketball as well as any guard in this class. Further, at 6’1, he has decent length at the guard spot. He is a good athlete with elite level first step abilities.
He also believes that he brings a program “energy, passion” in addition to “getting players involved”. This goes along with his scoring abilities and his tough on-ball defense.
Ultimately, he is a competitor who hates to lose. He plays with a bulldog mentality and is not afraid to go toe to toe with the best.
With that said, Boothman understands that he needs to get better in order to play at the next level. He noted that he has been working on “getting stronger and quicker”. Further, he feels as though he needs to be better at the “simpler things” due to only being 6’1. He has put a lot of time into his ball handling.
At this point, Boothman needs to improve as a cumulative playmaker. He is a great scorer at this level, but he will need to be able to make his teammates better with his playmaking skills in order to maximize his potential. He has the athletic tools necessary to play at the NCAA Division-I level.
As of now, Boothman should be targeted by low Division-I or high NCAA Division-II/NAIA schools.