Apex’s Ian Boyd says goodbye to football, picks basketball future
Ian Boyd sat on a bench at Apex’s football practice field, he patiently listened to a question he’s heard untold times and he shrugged his shoulders.
Those broad shoulders that have been known to carry Apex’s football and basketball teams also have toted around separate, conflicted decisions about where he should play college ball – and what ball that was going to be. He only knew he didn’t want to do both at the next level.
“I have no idea when I’ll decide,” said Boyd at the end of September. “But I’m going to pick one and see how good I can be.”
About a week later, on the first weekend of Octobor, Boyd found he had made both decisions.
On a basketball recruiting tip at George Mason University, he committed to the Atlantic 10 Conference school and its program.
“I like football, but I love basketball,” said Boyd. “That’s what it really came down to. When I liked my trip to George Mason, it made it easier to pick. I went there Friday and I woke Saturday thinking, ‘This is the place for me.’”
Boyd’s conflict has been based on his perceived untapped potential in football and his early reputation in basketball established as a sophomore.
He led Apex to the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A state title and was named the state championship game MVP. He could become the school’s first career 2,000-point scorer this season.
In basketball, the all-around athleticism of the 6-foot-4, 200-pounder allows him to dominate a high school court from any position. As a varsity freshman, he replaced an injured teammate in the post. As a sophomore he played power forward. As a junior, he filled in at point guard for an injured teammate. He guards anyone.
“It’s not even close that he’s the most versatile player I’ve ever coached,” Apex basketball coach David Neal said. “He’s had amazing high school career. The college coaches that recruited him love that he’s a player that can do it all.”
But since there is an unlimited supply of shooting guards with Boyd’s size, his basketball scholarship offers were limited to programs George Mason, Radford, Campbell and UNC Greensboro. Rivals.com doesn’t rank him in basketball, but ESPN.com lists him a 2-star. In football, Rivals ranks him a 3-star prospect.
The specter of Boyd’s football potential loomed for the prominence of programs recruiting him at multiple positions.
Virginia Tech saw him as a linebacker, Georgia Tech as a receiver and East Carolina on either side of the ball since he’s also a safety prospect.
Part of the reason for the difference in recruiting grades, is he’s never given in to the pressure of specializing with year-round AAU basketball or football combine circuits.
“I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I wasn’t playing football in the fall or basketball in the winter,” Boyd said.
An easy solution would have been to play both sports in college. Virginia Tech and East Carolina, perhaps sensing his basketball preference, suggested the option. But Boyd said all along he was a kid in high school and would be an adult in college.
“I’ve never focused on one sport,” he said. “I want to see where that can take me.”
Apex football coach Robert Graham suspected basketball would be Boyd’s choice, but he felt obligated to offer advice.
“A year ago, I was his driver’s ed teacher,” said Graham before Boyd announced his choice. “I told him, ‘You have more opportunities in football. Your chances are greater because you can play more positions.’ He didn’t say anything, and I haven’t said anything since then. I did talk to his mother about it. She said she just wants him to pick a school he likes and play the sport he wants. Whatever he decides, he knows I’ll support him.”
Graham added Boyd can play college basketball and have football as a fallback. San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates played basketball at Kent State and jumped to the NFL as undrafted free agent. Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham of Goldsboro played four years college basketball at Miami and one year of football, resulting in the New Orleans Saints taking him as a third-round draft pick.
While Boyd weighed his options, he tried to downplay his affinity for basketball. He pointed out he made his first mark in youth football. As a fifth-grader with the Cary Chargers, he was a tight end, defensive end and kicker for a team that advanced to the Pop Warner Super Bowl in Orlando, Fla. (multiple teams representing regions qualify).
But his passion on a basketball court was obvious. At last winter’s prestigious Holiday Invitational, he made his presence known in a tournament that featured numerous highly recruited players. Apex lost to Kinston and 5-star prospect Brandon Ingram, who is now a freshman at Duke, but Boyd caught Kinston coach Perry Tyndall’s attention.
“Ian Boyd was a man out there,” Tyndall said. “There was a reason he was the state championship MVP. He wills the team to do a lot of things.”
At George Mason, Boyd will play for first-year coach Dave Paulsen. He previously guided Bucknell to two NCAA and two NIT trips out of the Patriot League.
For now, Boyd says he feels a weight off his shoulders for the remainder of the Apex football season and the upcoming basketball campaign.
“I’m glad I don’t have to worry about it anymore,” Boyd said. “I can just ball out now.”
This story was originally published November 4, 2015 at 12:42 AM with the headline "Apex’s Ian Boyd says goodbye to football, picks basketball future."