At CRFF, we’re starting to turn up the recruiting #content, and a consistent dedicated update on Oklahoma State recruiting is one of the steps we plan to take to make that happen.

I will usually do this segment combined for football and basketball, but we’ll keep them separate this week. Look for an update on football tomorrow.

What does the roster look like right now?

Between transfers, players going pro, players being removed from the team, and a trio of Cowboys graduating, Oklahoma State and head coach Mike Boynton were left with a whopping 7 open scholarships for basketball for the 2018 class. Two of those were claimed a while ago by 3-star forwards Duncan Demuth and Yor Anei.

What theoretically makes this interesting is the scholarships for this year and next year are essentially shared because no one was slated to run out of eligibility after this season. Reality in college basketball today says its probably not going to happen, but Boynton was able to keep all scholarship players on the roster going into his first season on the job (which was a herculean effort in itself, and shows how much of a players’ coach he is).

That said, Oklahoma State quickly found themselves with five open scholarships to fill for 2018-19, and a short amount of time to fill them. First for 2018 there was Kentrevious Jones, a 3-star center who decommitted from Xavier in order to regain eligibility at Quality Education Academy prep school. Shortly thereafter was the 3-star but infinite ceiling Boone twins Kalib and Keylan out of Tulsa for the 2019 class. Most recently the Cowboys earned a commitment from grad transfer PG Mike Cunningham to add some experience to the position for 2018.

All of that leaves us here with three remaining scholarships for this year, and two for next (Boone twins in, Cunningham out).

Steam is really starting to pick up on the Boynton recruiting train. Let’s dive in.

2018 Targets

With Michael Weathers and Curtis Jones slated to come in and bolster the backcourt, a true PG and frontcourt depth have become the main targets to finish out this class. Here are the known candidates for the remaining spots:

Isaac Likekele, ★★★ 2018 PG // 6’4 // 195, Mansfield, TX

There has been a fairly recent development after he announced his decommitment from Fresno State following a coaching change. Likekele is a borderline top-150 four-star talent with a gritty, slashing skillset somewhat reminiscent of Marcus Smart. He is currently in Stillwater on an official visit, and plans to make a decision very soon. It’s hard to overstate how massive it would be to land him, especially this late in the recruiting cycle. UTEP and Texas Tech already received official visits, and are also in the mix for his signature. Oh, and don’t tell him he’s not high-major talent:

Tyrese Maxey, ★★★★★ 2019? PG // 6’3 // 185, Garland, TX

While Oklahoma State has been recruiting him for a while, his likely reclassification to 2018 has accelerated his timeline, and OSU is included in his Top 5. He will announce his decision on Wed., May 9th, and is thought to be a heavy Kentucky lean. Maxey is a top-15 level talent and a true blue chip prospect.

Also of note, Likekele and Maxey are good friends.

Amir Harris, ★★★ 2018 CG // 6’5 // 170, Hagerstown, MD

Harris has long been on Oklahoma State’s radar but it seems like he’s been a backup plan the whole time, including now to the aforementioned developments. He was recently offered by Nebraska and it seems likely he will move on in that direction.

Forwards:

Ed Chang, ★★★ 2018 (?) SF // 6’7 // 180, Pappillion, NE

Chang was the number one player in Nebraska following his junior season until he moved to Washington to attend prep school. He was originally committed to the Huskies, but has since decommitted. There is speculation that he will have trouble qualifying for the 2018 season. If he is able to qualify, he would be a terrific get on the offensive end with a tall, long frame. Nebraska is supposedly in on him as well.

Robert Braswell, ★★★ 2018 SF // 6’9 // 175, Blythewood, S.C.

Braswell has been on the Pokes radar for a while, but similarly to Harris, had been radio silent for a long period of time. That changed last week when it was announced that he had trimmed his options down to three: Syracuse, UMass, and Oklahoma State. Braswell is a skilled player on the ball that played as a guard until he outgrew the position, and is considered by many to be underrated as he avoided the major AAU circuits. He set up a visit with Syracuse as soon as they offered, and seems to be leaning hard to the Orange (and not the Cowboy kind).

Maurice Calloo, ★★★ 2018 PF // 6’8 // 210, Huntington Prep, West Va.

Calloo is another very recent addition to the OSU target board. He has been holding on to some high major offers for a while from the likes of Illinois, Florida, and Kansas State. His recruitment picked up again recently with offers from Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, and SMU.

Of the prospects that Oklahoma State is pursuing, Calloo has the most college-ready body at his size. Additionally, he offers a ton of skill with the ball in his hands, and is sneaky lengthy for his size. He would likely come in with an opportunity to play big minutes early at both the 3 and 4 spot.

Based on his offer sheet and the increased attention he’s gotten lately, it also seems like Calloo has been significantly underrated. The Cowboys will have to beat out Illinois, SMU, Ole Miss, and St. Johns for his commitment, but the speed with which he set up an official visit seems very promising for the Cowboys. Check out this week’s podcast in which Dustin and Cade dish a little on what they’re hearing about Calloo in recruiting circles.

Cowboy fans, get excited. The roster is about to take shape.

Stay tuned, and #LetsWork.