Innovation just one reason guard Boynton catching eye of coaches

PHILADELPHIA -- For $200, coaches making their way into seats at Philadelphia University's Herb Magee Court bought the book on the 151 Division I prospects participating in Reebok's All American Camp on Tuesday.

Inside, alphabetical and numerical rosters listed the field of players with their designated teams -- named both for NBA players (Team Rajon Rondo, Team Yao Ming) and sneakers (Team Pump Omni, Team Official Hexride). The page that raised the most eyebrows belonged to American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) guard Kenny Boynton -- a highly-recruited player in the 2009 class.

Beneath his generous height listing of 6-foot-3, weight (190 pounds), birthday (5/12/91), e-mail and AAU coach's cell phone number were answers to a list of six questions. Coaches gleaned that his top three schools are Duke, Georgia Tech, and Memphis, he likens his game to Allen Iverson's and thinks the ACC is the most overrated conference. The response that left some recruiters quizzical about the questionnaire was to the question: What current college player would you like to play with? Boynton's answer: Duke sophomore Nolan Smith.

"I just said a name," says Boynton, who received numerous text and voice messages from recruiters inquiring whether the Smith reference was a silent nod toward Duke. "I was surprised that it was a big deal. I said I don't know a few times when the lady asked, that all the good ones went to the NBA already. I don't know why, but Nolan's name came to me."

That Duke was on his mind should come as no surprise. Boynton, a ball of energy on the court with a scoring prowess and improving all-around game, visited the Durham campus with his American Heritage teammates two weeks ago. While hosting the prolific scorer, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, known for his corporate presentation skills, highlighted where he believes Boynton would fit within the Blue Devils' blueprint. First, a photo of Boynton's face appeared superimposed on the body of a 6-foot-10 NBA draftee's body shaking hands with commissioner David Stern. The next slide featured Boynton's face atop former Duke National Player of the Year Jason Williams' body as he cut down the nets from the '01 national title win. "It's the most creative thing I've gotten from recruiters," says Boynton, who lists Duke, Florida, Texas, Kansas State, Memphis and Georgia Tech as his top choices. "They said I can grow into those roles."

Innovation is what college coaches like most about Boynton's game. A native Floridian who packed away his football pads in the seventh grade because he didn't care to weather the South Florida sun, comes from a basketball background. His father, Kenny Sr., a sheriff's deputy, played basketball at Bethune-Cookman, where he also met Boynton's mother, Dana, a language arts teacher at nearby Deerfield Beach (Fla.) High. His brother, Deondre, 21, will be a senior at the University of West Florida, a Division II school in Pensacola, already holds the school's all-time assists record. In the family's front yard and at Apollo Park in Pompano Beach as well as West Side Park in Deerfield Beach, Boynton battles his brother to this day. "Everyone expects you to play football down here, and we both had coaches doubt whether we'd succeed at basketball," Deondre says. "I think when Coach K comes knocking at your door, that answers those doubts."

Boynton is an exceptional talent in the football kingdom of Florida, but he is not the sole Sunshine State product to step into the spotlight this week. Brandon Knight, a 6-foot-3, 178-pound rising junior from Pine Crest School of Fort Lauderdale, is a year younger than Boynton but played as his equal Tuesday afternoon. A strong ball handler with an honest-to-goodness mid-range game, the sinewy point man has recovered from having a cyst removed from his spine last fall, to be one of the nation's top underclassmen. "People say they're a nice Batman and Robin," says Kenny Gillion, who coaches Boynton and Knight on their AAU team, Team Breakdown. "I think they're two Batmans."

Last winter, Boynton, who transferred to American Heritage from Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach) after his sophomore year, led the Patriots to the 3A semifinals against Knight's Pine Crest squad. A standing-room-only crowd packed the Pine Crest gymnasium, leaving onlookers, including Reebok All American camp adviser Bobby Hartstein outside to watch Pine Crest's win on a school-provided screen hanging on a wall. "I had seen Kenny's games before and they weren't sellouts like this," says Hartstein, who coached Stephon Marbury at Lincoln (Coney Island, N.Y.). "They're an attraction together."

This week, they are teammates for Team Allen Iverson. Playing off each other and taking turns running the offense, both showed range, an ability to finish in the open floor and aggressiveness on defense. The likes of Krzyzewski and assistant Chris Collins, Louisville's Rick Pitino and Florida's Billy Donovan have lined the courtside seats for each game. In between quarters, Knight pounded away at two-handed ball handling drills while other players rested. "He's so serious," says Boynton, a self-described joker. "He's younger than me, but he's smart. I give him tips and he gives me some."

Perhaps Knight can offer his elder teammate free advice regarding recruiting diplomacy. On his questionnaire, Knight likens his game to Dwyane Wade, his birthday is 12/2/92 and that Miami, Georgia Tech and Duke are his top schools. Unwilling to reveal the name of the college player he'd most enjoy playing alongside, Knight, who boasts a 4.2 GPA, left the coaches guessing with a "No opinion" response.