What are the Sun Devils getting in 2021 four-star center Enoch Boakye?
Canada may not be a primary recruiting territory for Arizona State, but today it once again proved as a region well worth exploring for its player additions. Four-star center Enoch Boakye, a former Michigan State pledge announced that he has committed to the Sun Devils and, more importantly, reclassify to the 2021 class as he is scheduled to arrive in Tempe in a few months.
We caught up with George Aramide, President and Founder of George Harris Prep in Mississauga, Ontario, to discuss what ASU’s newest addition brings to the table and what compelled Boakye to make the call for Arizona State.
“Enoch is being compared to (2018 no. 1 NBA draft pick and Phoenix Suns center) Deandre Ayton,” Aramide said, “And they're very similar in body type and physical aggression around the rim. He's got a great jump shot from 16 feet, plays hard, and he’s a high motor guy. And he's a Canadian kid. So nothing against American kids, but this means he's humble, and he's grateful. He doesn't have an attitude of ‘I deserve to be here.’ He still has an attitude of ‘I want to earn it. I want to earn everyone's respect’.
“I think Enoch is going to be a game changer for Coach Bobby Hurley. He’s going to get that five-star big to win the Pac-12.”
A few seasons ago, Canadian guard Luguentz Dort became Arizona State’s first one-and-done player for the program, and a year later made an immediate impact for the Oklahoma City Thunder, becoming a staple of its starting lineup. This level of success naturally didn't go unnoticed by Boakye and his camp and certainly affected today’s decision.
“It most definitely played a part,” Aramide remarked concerning Dort’s Tempe tenure and beyond. “Enoch knew the relationship between Lou and coach (Hurley). He put in a good word and how he really enjoyed his experience at Arizona State. “And obviously, he (Dort) succeeded in one year, which is the goal for Enoch. So definitely, Coach Bobby has done right by Canadians. So he deserves to get another five-star.
“Bobby told him that they don't just want him, but that there's a need for him. There a need for a guy like him to have an interior presence. Bobby is known for recruiting really, really good guards because he was a great point guard and now having success with the bigs, and he can put it all together this year. Enoch is a kid that wants an opportunity to come in and impact right away, and when Coach Hurley talked to him, he really hit all the right points.”
Between playing on the AAU circuit and the Canadian national team, Aramide said that hectic 2019 followed by a much slower 2020 pace of competition did work to Boakye’s advantage in terms of lesser workload. Nonetheless, that hardly slowed down his development.
“Being a lockdown all year, he's had time to be in the gym one on one working on his game,” Aramide described. “So, his footwork has improved tremendously. His three-point shot has improved, and a little bit more comfortable shooting them. He wants to shoot them in college and keep defenses honest. And then watching the game more, he's grown so much mentally, and he understands the game so much better. He doesn't really get to watch that much basketball because he was always on the road. This year he got to sit at home and really, really watch and understand the game.
Boakye committed to Michigan State on July 28th of last year and decommitted from the Spartans on February 15th. Programs such as Oklahoma State, Illinois, Maryland, and Texas Tech were heavily pursuing the coveted center ever since. Aramide stated that even though the Sun Devils may have arrived a tad later than most of Boakye’s suitors that the essence of their recruiting pitch ultimately made the difference.
“We got the call from Bobby, and that was the first time we really started to get the ball rolling and get to know him,” Aramide recalled. “That relationship has been really developing since then. I think the biggest thing that I liked about Bobby is there wasn't very much fluff. There’s no Dog and pony show with him. He really got down to the nitty gritty. He said, ‘Hey, this is your goal. We can make it happen. There's opportunity.’ It really all came down to personnel, coaching staff, coaching style, and then obviously the team that they're building.
“Enoch already loves Arizona; he loves the weather, loves the palm trees, the West Coast. We actually go every year to play in Arizona, and he’s already been on the campus. So that’s what got to us with Bobby; there was no BS. There was no pretense. It was, ‘This is our plan. This is what we're gonna do with you. This is how you fit. This is my success. This was Lu’s (Dort) success, and you can come here and do the same thing.’ And that was right up Enoch's alley.”
As a prospect reclassifying to the 2021 class, Boakye is scheduled to sign with the Sun Devils in the April signing period to graduate high school in May and potentially arrive in Tempe in June in time for the first summer session.
Boakye is the fifth member of ASU’s 2021 recruiting class, joining signees Justin Rochelin, Will Felton, and Demari Williams as well, as fellow commit Jamiya Neal.
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