When I arrived for my freshman year at St. Andrew’s in 2022, I checked in at the Sipprelle Field House. While in line, I discovered a trophy case that would become one of my earliest St. Andrew’s memories. In it hung a McDonald’s All-American basketball jersey: Boateng No. 52. Saints athletes walk past it every day, but how many of them know that jersey’s story? I was delighted to sit down with the man who wore it, Eric Boateng ’05, when he was back in Delaware for his February 7 induction into the state’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

Delaware’s first athlete to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game, Boateng, who arrived in Middletown to attend St. Andrew’s by way of London, went on to play for Arizona State University before brief stints with the New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Lakers. He also played professionally in South America and Europe. 

During his visit in early February, Boateng hung out at basketball practice, had dinner with the boys team, and caught up with some familiar faces, like his former dorm parent turned Head of School, Joy McGrath ’92.

Although basketball was his No. 1 sport as a Saint, Boateng says he is grateful for the school’s multisport model, which introduced him to other sports and coaches. “This experience leads to all-around athletes, and offers different ways of learning something,” Boateng said. “Playing multiple sports gives you the opportunity to build community, and that keeps you learning and evolving.” 

It wasn’t just skill and grit that propelled the athlete—Boateng was fueled by his academics. “When we talk about being a well-rounded student and person, it comes down to certain habits I adopted in the classroom and displayed on the court,” he said. “It was the idea of committing to the process and being diligent.”

Boateng, animated as he reminisced about the fun, hard work, friendships, and time he spent as a Saint, offered advice for current students: “Enjoy this process, be open to learn, and don't lose sight of that end goal,” he said. For Boateng, set to take his place in the basketball history books, the goal wasn't points or triple doubles; rather, it was staying curious, working hard, and always striving to learn more. “That’s what St. Andrew’s prepared me for,” he said. “You learn a way of doing things that you carry with you always.”

At his Hall of Fame induction the following day, Boateng spoke to that lifelong connection. One day, he told the crowd, he was practicing when he channeled a little too much of his  “inner" Kevin Garnett. "The backboard glass shattered and rained down on me and all over the court and I thought, ‘Oh, no, what have I done?’” he said.

He then ran to the Dining Hall, where he found former Head of School Tad Roach P’04,’07,’13,’18. As Boateng tried to apologize, “Tad cut me off mid-apology,” Boateng remembered. “He said, ‘Go break another one.’ That day, Tad liberated my ferocious attack on the rim, and for the rest of my career, I attacked it with strength, and with bravery. I’ll forever be grateful to St. Andrew’s for the tremendous opportunity and foundation to pursue my passion and my dreams, and build on my potential as a student, as an athlete, and as a human.”