Haywood graduate Dedric Boyd granted release from Eastern Kentucky
JACKSON - After one season at Eastern Kentucky, Haywood graduate Dedric Boyd has been granted his release from the Colonels, according to his Twitter account.
"I asked for my release, so that I can look at some bigger schools," Boyd said. "Hopefully, some bigger schools will contact me, and I will have bigger options."
For Boyd, a big part of opening his options up had to do with the firing of Eastern Kentucky head coach Dan McHale in late February.
"It has been a little rough lately," Boyd said. "His firing played a big part in my decision because the reason I came here was the coaching staff and my teammates. When he got fired, it brought me down a little bit. I just want to open up my recruiting list to see what coaches are looking at me."
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Boyd said that he doesn't have a list of potential schools yet, but he does have a few that he prefers to look at.
The 6-foot-4, 175-pound guard averaged 13.2 points per game this year for Eastern Kentucky to go along with 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists as he started 20 of the 24 games this season.
He scored a career-high 31 points against UT Martin and a career-high 12 assists against Asbury.
"I feel like I have grown a lot this year from my high school days to my freshman year," Boyd said. "I have learned a lot from (Eastern Kentucky assistant) Coach Reece Gaines, a former NBA player."
According to 247Sports, Boyd was the No. 4 player in the state of Tennessee in the 2017 class and the No. 61 shooting guard in the country.
He helped Haywood to the Class AA semifinals in 2017 after missing 11 games with a knee injury. He was also a key contributor on the 2015 state championship team.
As a senior, Boyd averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds to be named an All-West Tennessee first-team member.
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Reach Michael Odom at michodom@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterMichael.