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It’s not too hyperbolic to say this may be the biggest recruiting weekend ever for Oklahoma State men’s basketball. The Pokes have arguably the best prospect in the nation coming to visit and the ramifications of him joining the program cannot be overstated.
The importance of this weekend is obviously not lost on coach Mike Boynton, and the ‘Boys have cleaned up nicely in preparation for their big-time guests:
#LetsWork See you ALL this weekend. #GoPokes #NumeroUno https://t.co/WAft1Tprw4
— Mike Boynton (@thacoachmike) September 4, 2019
With that, let’s jump into the list of who’s confirmed to be coming and a few more that we hope will make it out to the Madison Square Garden of the Plains this weekend:
“Confirmed” Visitors
Cade Cunningham
The headliner, the lede allusion, the top priority of the Pokes, and possibly the top player in (at least) the 2020 class, Cunningham announced that he’d be visiting the Pokes this weekend shortly after releasing his final five schools. Stillwater precedes visits to North Carolina, Florida, Kentucky and Washington and while the Pokes still hold the apparent lead in his recruiting, the Tar Heels are still a very real threat in his recruitment battle.
Let’s hope this first impression is enough to make Cunningham all but shut down his recruitment, because this dude is an absolute program changer:
JT Thor
When I heard from a source Thor was coming, I did an almost literal double-take. This is an elite forward prospect that was offered late in the game by Coach Boynton only a couple of months ago in July. I wrote at the time that I wasn’t sure how seriously in contention the Cowboys were, but since then he’s reclassified to the 2020 class and the Cowboys have emerged as very serious players. So much so, that Thor confirmed with Corey Evans that he will be joining Cunningham this week in Stillwater:
Big weekend for Oklahoma State as four-star forward JT Thor will join top-ranked guard Cade Cunningham in Stillwater for an official visit@OKStateRivals https://t.co/PP0ZO4gUNR
— Corey Evans (@coreyevans_10) September 4, 2019
The Cowboys have had little issue pulling top guard talent, but could really use an elite forward like Thor to help sweeten the deal for Cunningham. A borderline 5-star talent, Thor on his own would be an absolute coup for the Pokes in 2020.
Update as of Thursday at 6:40 p.m. :
Rivals’ Derek Young has confirmed that 4-star Rondel Walker is skipping his planned visit to K-State and Oklahoma State is on the docket.
Have confirmed that 4-star guard Rondel Walker will not be visiting Kansas State this weekend, anymore. Oklahoma State is on the docket.
— Derek Young (@DYoungRivals) September 5, 2019
As well as Mike Miles...
The @TexasTitans2020 trio of Cade Cunningham, Rondel Walker, and Mike Miles will visit Oklahoma State on official visits. 2020 Forward JT Thor is also visiting this weekend.
— Matt Reynolds (@MattReynolds___) September 5, 2019
This weekend will shape the Cowboys future on the hardwood.#PrepHoops pic.twitter.com/STLXpqg2jw
“Possible” Visitors
Jaylin Williams
Speaking of top-flight forward talent, Williams is another high-priority target that fits the bill. He’s a teammate of OSU commit Davonte Davis, and he recently included the Cowboys in his Top 7:
Top 7..... So grateful for this opportunity. Thank you to all the coaches and schools that have recruited me and believed in me. @TiptonEdits pic.twitter.com/6mpZxXQKsF
— Jaylin Williams (@Jay_MWilliams_) September 4, 2019
Rondel Walker
I don’t have any specific reason to believe Walker will be there, other than that he’s another local stud and he’s been at a number of OSU football games in the past. Oh, and he plays for the Texas Titans alongside Cade Cunningham.
He would be another fantastic pickup for the class, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he was on the sidelines this weekend.
Bryce Thompson
Thompson is only this low on the list because he is supposed to be visiting North Carolina this week (and the Pokes in late September when they host Kansas State in football). By this time, he is on every Cowboy fans’ radar. More likely, he’s been there for a long time as this kid has been lighting up Tulsa, Oklahoma for a number of years now. He also recently named the Cowboys in his top seven:
So grateful for this opportunity. Thanks to all the coaches that have recruited me thus far. Another step closer.
— Bryce Thompson (@B3thompson__) August 30, 2019
Proverbs 18:16@TiptonEdits @BallisWillbrant pic.twitter.com/XTqxm4ypXN
It seems very unlikely that he’d rearrange his plans just to coincide with Cunningham’s visit, but if he does I would consider it a very, very good sign.
Greg Brown
OK, I admit this is definitely more of a dream than a possible reality... but he and Cunningham are best friends and teammates for the same Texas Titans. Another top 10 talent in the class would probably literally form an active volcano underneath GIA and flood the city with uncontrollable orange hysteria - but hey I’d be willing to risk it for this connection:
Cade Cunningham with the gift to Greg Brown! Happy Birthday @gb3elite pic.twitter.com/stXr5wcjwB
— BallerTV (@BallerTV) September 2, 2019
Let us know who you hope to see this weekend, or if you’ve heard any good rumors on who might actually join Cunningham on Saturday at BPS.