Former Arizona guard Kylan Boswell transfers to hometown Illinois

Rising freshman

In his first year in Tucson, Boswell held down the sixth spot in the rotation and saw plenty of playing time despite not logging a single start. He averaged 15.2 minutes per game and contributed in scoring (4.6 ppg), assists (1.6 apg), and steals (0.7 spg) while shooting 45% from the field and 39% from range.

He flashed his versatility against Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, where he complemented an unimpressive 8 points with eight assists and seven rebounds in a season-high 26 minutes. He also scored 15 points loss to Oregon and logged back-to-back 14-point, two-rebound, two-assist games against USC and UCLA to cap off the regular season.

Boswell's seeming ascendance led Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd to believe that the young gun was ready to be the full-time starting point guard after earning a Pac-12 All-Freshman honorable mention. Kerr Kriisa was subsequently jettisoned and landed at West Virginia, where he faced problems almost immediately and will now be looking for his third and final collegiate home.

Sophomore slump

Entering Year 2 freshly minted as the starting point guard, Boswell came out hot. He scored 18 points in the season opener against Morgan State and paired it with five rebounds, two steals, and an assist. When the competition level stepped up the next week against No. 2 Duke, Boswell exploded for 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block.

He was playing up to expectations until the Michigan State game, where he finished with 12 points but only shot 33% from the field and went 2-7 from range. It was a mixed bag for the rest of the season, where the highlight of the season and his career was a career-high 20 points to pair with eight assists, three rebounds, two steals, and a block in the first round of March Madness.

The season lowlights are just as memorable as the highlights. His rock bottom came in the first loss to Washington State, where he was on the floor for 25 minutes and posted a stat line of 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, and 0-5 shooting. The season ended on a sour note too, spelling the end of his time in Tucson: a combined 5 points, three assists, three steals, and two rebounds in the Round of 32 and Sweet 16.

He was noncommittal on his future with Arizona after the loss to Clemson:

"Me and [head coach Tommy Lloyd] are gonna talk when we get back home [and] figure stuff out."

- Boswell

The writing was on the wall: with the ascendance of Jaden Bradley the same way he rose behind Kriisa, Boswell's expected role in Arizona became redundant. He will now be heading to a place he can confidently call home while he looks to do some mild rehab on his career in one of the strongest and most historical college basketball conferences.

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