LOST CREEK, W.Va. – Following an impressive freshman season, Corey Boulden burst on to the state scene with a sophomore season worthy of a second team all-state selection.
Boulden has continued to get his name out there since the season’s end, but doing so on a larger scale.
“Statistics don’t lie. Big Shots produces numbers, they produce scholarships, and they get people’s names out there,” Boulden said. “I really think that with my time this summer with them that that happened. I really think that was really important.”
The South Harrison junior guard has been invited to participate in the Big Shots Carolina Top 150 camp and tournament, which will take place in South Carolina this weekend.
“If you want to improve your state ranking, that’s where you need to be, and of course I want to do that, so that’s where I’m gonna go,” said Boulden. “A lot of the best players play in that, and playing against good competition usually leads to getting better.
According to the West Virginia Reign Elite twitter account, which is the account dedicated to Boulden’s AAU team, the camp is designed for the Top 150 players in the 2023 recruiting class.
It’s a great chance for the Lost Creek native to not only go up against the best, but to show he is among the best in his recruiting class.
“I feel like when I come back to my high school season, I’m going to excel more than I did before I played in it,” said Boulden.
Boulden averaged 15.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game this season, along with averaging 2.3 steals per contest for South Harrison High School last season.
He acknowledges that his upcoming junior season is a big one for him, adding that his takeaways and experiences from AAU games this summer will be a big factor in helping him succeed for the Hawks.
“I think it’s really going to come down to your mental toughness, and how you approach the game,” Boulden said. “I’ve been getting better at that with Big Shots, because you have to have that toughness to play against the tougher competition. So, I think that’s going to help me and reach new heights.”
His ability to get to the basket on a drive is one of the biggest areas of feedback Boulden says he’s gotten from Big Shots coaches and coordinators.
“The biggest thing is exposure. That’s what you’re always trying to get, for the school and for trying to get to the next level.”
Fans saw last season that Boulden is an above-average shooter, but an improved ability to get to the basket, especially against tougher competition, could be make or break for him.
Asked how what he’s learned on the AAU circuit and with Big Shots can help Boulden, and the Hawks as a team, this upcoming high school hoops season, he points to the ebb and flow of games, and how no lead is insurmountable.
“Usually when a high school team gets down, they stay down. In the AAU tournaments, when you’re down, it’s very easy to come back,” said Boulden. “Basketball is a game of runs, and I feel like if we can bring that mindset back to the school that, even if we’re down we’re still in the game, we can still make it a win.”
Boulden’s performance in Rock Hill could determine if he’s invited to more Big Shots camps and tournaments throughout the course of the fall. The basketball recruiting and exposure organization has three more camps and tournaments scheduled in various locations during the months of September, October.
That includes a September 19th camp at The Bridge in Bridgeport.