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Oklahoma State has returned to Gallagher- Iba Arena for practices and workouts this week. Meanwhile, Coach Boynton has been a busy man lately between running practice and extending offers to several recruits. We’ll start with an offer Boynton extended to a guard from the Bronx.
Malachi Smith: Bronx, New York
Smith is six feet tall and a three-star recruit according to rivals.com. Smith boasts a handful of offers from schools much closer to home, including offers from Georgetown, Seton Hall and Dayton. As I’m sure Boynton has expressed to Smith, it is possible for a kid from New York to move to Oklahoma and make a home. The St. Raymond’s guard is ranked 40th at his position and has 15 total offers.
From watching his highlights, Smith looks like a sweet shooting guard who can create his own shot and get his shot off over taller defenders. That skill will help him tremendously at the next level.
MJ Thomas: Calvert, Texas
Thomas is in the class of 2023 and is listed at six foot five. If you’ve never heard of Calvert before, it’s because Calvert is a 1A school. Not many division one athletes come from the 1A schools. Thomas will only be a sophomore next season and has plenty of room to grow both physically and as a player.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Thomas end up as highly recruited player, but I wouldn’t expect him to transfer from Calvert. His dad is the head coach of the Calvert Trojans. Whenever Thomas does get to college, going from 1A basketball to division one basketball will be an adjustment. I’m sure Thomas will find a good AAU squad to run with to help him prepare for the transition.
Mike James: Orlando, Florida
Mike James named Oklahoma State among the final eight schools he is considering. The four-star forward is set to be a senior and will decide between the following schools.
If you asked me a year ago if I’d be in this position I wouldn’t believe you. BLESSED ⏳ pic.twitter.com/gJv1LPz0tD
— ✞ (@MichaelToReal0) July 21, 2020
James has had an OSU offer since February and has seen his recruitment explode over the last year. A part of that was James’ role in helping his school to the 7A state semifinals in Florida. James is ranked 15th nationally at his position and would be a huge get for Oklahoma State as the potential first piece for Boynton in the 2021 class.