Boozer’s IQ and skills propel Columbus basketball to win over nation’s fourth-ranked team
There’s “basketball IQ”, and then there’s Boozer IQ.
Columbus star Cameron Boozer, a 6-9, 225-pound forward ranked by ESPN as the No. 1 sophomore in the nation, is a bit of a prodigy. Last season, prior to a regional final playoff game, Boozer handed Columbus coach Andrew Moran a detailed scouting report on the Explorers’ next opponent.
“He was just a freshman, and yet he broke down every play that Cypress Bay had run in its previous game,” Moran said. “It was time-stamped to coincide with the game film.”
Columbus won that game on its way to a state championship, and the Explorers haven’t slowed down since.
On Wednesday night, Boozer had 21 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks as host Columbus defeated New Jersey/national power Camden, 75-66, before a standing-room-only crowd.
Columbus (11-3), ranked 11th in the nation by MaxPreps, played its best game of the season in knocking off fourth-ranked Camden (7-1), which has two seniors who have signed with the Kentucky Wildcats: 6-5 guard DJ Wagner and 7-foot center Aaron Bradshaw.
Wagner, ranked the nation’s No. 1 senior by ESPN, did not disappoint, scoring 33 points -- exactly half of his team’s total. He was extra explosive in the second half, scoring nine points in the third quarter and 16 in the fourth.
Then again, Cameron’s twin brother, 6-5 point guard Cayden Boozer, did not back down. When his brother struggled a bit early, Cayden rose up with 11 first-half points.
“Cameron didn’t have the best start,” said Cayden, who finished with 19 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals. “But a lot of pieces of the team got it going just to help him. We kept the pressure off of Cameron, and he got it going in the second half.”
By saying “pieces”, Cayden was referring to 6-1 senior guard Garyn Bess, who had 17 points, six assists and five rebounds; and 6-8 junior forward Malik Abdullahi, who added 11 points and six rebounds.
As for guarding Wagner, Cayden said he enjoyed the challenge.
“I want to get better,” said Cayden, who is not on ESPN’s list of the nation’s top-25 sophomores but still has college scholarship offers from Duke, Miami and Arkansas.
“(Wagner) was making a lot of shots. There’s a reason why he’s ranked so highly. He’s a really good player.
“But (I gained) a lot of confidence (going against him on Wednesday). It was a big win against a really good team.”
Columbus has gobbled up a steady diet of “really good teams”, making it to the final of the City of Palms Classic, for example.
The Explorers’ only losses came against three of the nation’s top-10 teams: No. 1 John Marshall (Virginia), No. 3 Duncanville (Texas); and No. 8 Imhotep Charter (Pennsylvania). Two of those losses – at Duncanville and against Marshall at a neutral site in South Carolina – were by were just three points each.
Only Imhoptep Charter – which earned a 61-44 win over Columbus just four days before Christmas – has been able to pull away from the Explorers.
On Wednesday, Camden led just twice – at 2-0 and 4-2.
Otherwise, it was a dominating effort by Columbus, which led by as many as 14 points in the first half.
Camden, however, cut its deficit to 46-42 with 57 seconds left in the third, forcing a timeout by Moran. Out of that timeout, Cayden went back door, and Cameron got him the ball for the assist on a well-run layup, killing Camden’s momentum.
Another big moment came early in the fourth quarter. With Columbus leading 53-46, Cameron drew a charge, and that led to a 9-0 Explorers run.
Columbus was never challenged again.
“It was one of our best games, limiting our turnovers,” Moran said. “We’ve been struggling with that.”
Indeed, Columbus had just 13 turnovers in this game. Camden scored just two second-half points off turnovers.
This game was billed as a battle between the sons of former NBA players. Carlos Boozer is the father of Cameron and Cayden. Wagner’s father Dajuan Wagner and grandfather Milt Wagner both played in the NBA.
But it was those less famous “pieces” that gave Columbus its edge, and Moran made a special post-game mention of Bess, who does not yet have a scholarship offer.
“I don’t know what the hell is wrong with the colleges and why they’re not coming after him,” Moran said. “He’s a winner.”
Just ask his teammate, Cameron Boozer.
Or, better yet, read his scouting reports.