With top recruits in GIA, Boynton positive about future
STILLWATER — Saturday's loss to Kansas dropped the Oklahoma State basketball program to nine games below .500 for the first time since the 1986-87 season. Yet, coach
voiced a message of positivity afterward.
Helping that message was the presence of several top recruits in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday. Among the game's attendees was fivestar forward who 247Sports ranks as the No. 13 2020 prospect but is reportedly considering reclassifying to 2019, and a four-star forward that's 247Sports' ninth-ranked uncommitted 2019 player.
“Recruits believe in what we're doing,” Boynton said. “As much as what these guys are doing shows that this team has a pulse still, the fact that there's some really good players out there that are still interested in what we're doing at 10-19 now shows that we've got a chance to really build something long lasting.”
OSU has two scholarship available in its 2019 class. The Cowboys' four signees as of now,
Mike Boynton Isaiah Todd,
and Tulsa Memorial twins and rank as the 21st best class in the nation.
“The future," Boynton said, "is exciting."
Keylan Boone, Aggressiveness helps Jones shine against Kansas again
Before Saturday, had gone a month without making four baskets in a game.
He made his first four against the Jayhawks and finished with a team-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 4-for-4 on 3-pointers.
“Just trying to be aggressive,” Jones said. “My teammates were looking for me. Just trying to keep it going, trying to provide a spark off the bench.”
Jones entered the game shooting 29.8 percent from 3, far below the 35 percent he hit as a freshman at Indiana. There, he began his collegiate career with a matchup against
Curtis Jones
the Jayhawks, scoring 15 points in 16 minutes of a victory. Since becoming eligible in December after last season's midseason transfer, Jones has been an up-and-down piece off the Cowboys' bench, but he provided far more up Saturday.
“It's what I've always thought Curtis could bring to our team,” Boynton said. “He hasn't been able to perform at a consistent level doing that, but we believe a great deal in his talent. It's part of the reason why we were intrigued when he was available a year-and-ahalf ago. He hasn't played that aggressively in a long time and he obviously felt comfortable once he got a couple shots to go early.”