Boateng, Marshall celebrate signing
Little Rock Central’s Annor Boateng and Jordan Marshall weren’t as long on talking as they were on smiling Monday afternoon at Boone-Fitzpatrick Fieldhouse.
The two standouts beamed in front of a cheerful crowd of family, friends and administrators during a ceremony honoring their recent collegiate commitments.
“I feel like I’ve really developed being around the people that I’ve been around,” said Boateng, who’d signed with Missouri. “It’s really helped shape me into who I am today. … I just really appreciate of it all.”
Missouri is certainly appreciative that the Central’s 4-star phenom is heading its way next summer.
Boateng is coming off a junior year that included an abundance of accolades. The 6-6 forward, who’s ranked as the No. 27 overall player in the class of 2024 and the No. 1 senior in the state by 247Sports, was an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas Preps first-team selection and the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 16 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
He mulled over NCAA Division I offers from a number of other schools, including Arkansas, Auburn, Indiana, LSU and Mississippi State before deciding to ink with Missouri. Boateng is Missouri’s third top30 recruit since 2004.
“[Missouri] did an excellent job in the recruiting process,” Central boys Coach Brian Ross said. “Their coaching staff was great with him, and I think he’s done a wonderful job and found a good fit for him. But what separates Annor from the pack of other good and talented basketball players is who is off the court. It’s his character, he’s a great teammate, he’s got great work ethic, he’s got a 3.7 [grade point average] for high school, he’s been an AP scholar the entire time he’s been at Central High School.
“He’s played in the band, carrying that saxophone case around these hallways a lot. But he’s just a well-rounded person, and there’s so much more to Annor Boateng than just basketball.”
Central girls Coach Marlon Williams echoed similar sentiments when talking about Marshall, who’s signed with Louisiana Tech.
“Her character has been amazing the whole time she’s been here,” he explained. “She’s great in the classroom, she’s great on the floor, she’s a great teammate. … but the biggest thing that’s so awesome about Jordan is a 3.9 [grade point average]. So the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters got it absolutely right.
“They’ve got one of the top student athletes they could possibly get in Jordan Marshall.”
Marshall has been a key anchor inside and out for the Lady Tigers ever since she cracked the starting rotation as a freshman. The 6-0 forward, who can play and guard any of the five positions on the floor, was on the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas Preps Underclassmen team as a sophomore, and she’s a three-time, all-6A-Central Conference performer and a two-time all-state pick.
The senior nearly averaged a double-double last season for Central, which went 19-12 and finished ranked No. 9 overall after reaching the Class 6A semifinals. However, her versatility is what made her a priority for a Lady Techsters team led by eighth-year Coach Brooke Stoehr, who was an All-American guard and multi-sport athlete in high school at Hamburg in the late 1990s.
“I just thank God for blessing me with the ability to play basketball,” said Marshall, who has more than 1,200 points and 500 rebounds for her career. “I try to make sure I put my best effort into everything that I do. Everyone knows that I have a big village, and without my village, I wouldn’t be able to do any of the things that I do now, and I wouldn’t have any of the accomplishments that I have now.”