Oklahoma State Recruiting 5-Star Center N’Faly Dante

Mike Boynton and his coaching staff are pursuing N’Faly Dante, a 5-star recruit from Wichita, Kansas. Now, I know most of you are thinking that the odds of Bill Self missing out on a 5-star recruit in his own backyard are about the same as John Calipari putting together a clean recruiting class. Heyo!

However, the Pokes may have a shot to land the big man.

N’Faly Dante is a Mali native who plays for Sunrise Christian Academy (the same prep academy Buddy Hield attended) in Bel Aire, Kansas. The 6’11” sophomore boasts a wingspan of 7’5”. Dante has the look of a potential future NBA lottery pick, averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds per game in his sophomore season.

While Dante is a physical specimen, he’s still a very raw prospect. With more practice and experience over the next two years, Dante could become one of the most dangerous recruits in the 2020 class. Most of Dante’s points come from dunks, put-backs, or just simply shooting over smaller defenders. On defense, the big man still doesn’t like to leave the paint, and isn’t quite the pick and roll defender college scouts would like to see. To defend effectively at the collegiate level, Dante will need to work on his lateral movement and getting in a lower defensive stance.

While N’Faly Dante has a few concerns on both ends of the court, he still has two years to develop, and most of his concerns come from being younger and inexperienced. The list of schools recruiting Dante by this time next year will be longer than your grocery list. As of now, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU and Oregon have joined the Pokes in Dante’s recruitment, according to rivals.com.

A commitment to Oklahoma State from Dante would be huge, and he would have an ample amount of opportunity to change the program. His commitment also could be the one to help cement Mike Boynton’s status as an elite recruiter. Either way, Cowboy fans and college basketball fans alike will be hearing N’Faly Dante’s name a lot over the next handful of years.