Boser Talks UMKC Commitment
On Sept. 27, Caden Boser received a scholarship offer from the University of Missouri-Kansas City following an unofficial visit. Six days later, the Eau Claire Memorial standout would be committed.
Announcing his commitment to the Roos Thursday night, Boser became the ninth senior in the state of Wisconsin to pledge to a Division 1 program.
“I really liked it down there,” Boser told Prep Hoops Wisconsin. “I liked the city, I liked the campus. The head coach is new there and he’s a great coach. I feel like he really knows what he’s doing and is building a great program down there. It’s perfect for what I’m looking for.
“There really wasn’t any negative about them I could notice.”
Boser chose UMKC over UW-Milwaukee and Illinois-Chicago. The 6-foot-8 forward told head coach Billy Donlon of his decision.
“They were really excited,” said Boser. “That was another thing that separated them from other schools — they made me feel that I was a priority and made it very clear that they really wanted me there.”
Donlan, who spent the previous six seasons at Wright State, compared Boser to former Raider standout J.T. Yoho, who shot 38 percent from 3-point range for his career at Wright State.
“He showed me how they’d like to use my shooting as a stretch four or ‘3’,” said Boser. “He thinks that will be a valuable asset to the program.”
Boser did not use any of his five allotted official visits during his recruitment but plans to use one to UMKC before the early signing period.
“It’s great there,” said Boser. “The players are fun guys, really hard working. There’s no football or baseball, so basketball is the main sport there. It’s also the only D1 school in the city. That’s a great environment to be in.”
As a junior, Boser averaged 20.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while shooting 53.0 percent from the field. New Hampshire, Abilene Christian, Wofford, and Western Michigan were also showing interest in Boser going into the 2019-20 season.
“I really want to focus on our team and try to get to state,” Boser said of his decision to commit now versus playing out his senior season. “I felt like it was such a good fit that there wasn’t another school that could have come around and topped them.
“Growing up as a kid, the goal was to become a Division 1 basketball player. I worked my whole life for this. It’s a great feeling.”
Boser is the No. 10 ranked player in Wisconsin’s 2020 class.