What Does This Mean for Future Players Like Cade Cunningham and Ferron Flavors Jr?
STILLWATER – Mike Boynton just can’t seem to catch a break, especially when it comes to the FBI/NCAA investigation surrounding corruption in men’s college basketball. A few months into his tenure as head coach, associate head coach Lamont Evans was arrested for his involvement in the scandal and OSU had to suspend then senior Jeffrey Carroll for the first three games of the season for his involvement as well.
The NCAA then handed down a Level I violation prior to Evans’ being sentenced to three-months in jail. Then on Friday, June 5, the NCAA handed down an incredibly harsh punishment to Oklahoma State of a one-year postseason ban in 2020-21, a reduction of three scholarships until the conclusion of the 2022-23 academic year and three years of probation among others restrictions.
It seems that every step Mike Boynton and Co. take forward, they’re forced to take multiple steps back, not just with the NCAA violation issues, but with going back to the 2018 season and having to dismiss players from the roster.
This past fall, Boynton and Co. landed the commitment from the then No. 2 prospect in the class Cade Cunningham, who became the catalyst for the best recruiting class in the modern recruiting era for Oklahoma State. Players that followed were fellow four-stars Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, Donovan Williams, Montreal Pena and talented sharpshooting grad transfer Ferron Flavors Jr.
Cunningham, who recently turned down a potentially lucrative G League contract, now has a very important decision to make: does he stay at Oklahoma State?
The same question can be asked of Flavors, and honestly, the rest of the top-five 2020 recruiting class, and possibly returning players, as well.
“Just from the player standpoint, I’m not going to allow any player to get screwed in this process. That’s not going to happen,” said coach Boynton. “Any player who stays with our program, will do it with their eyes wide open as to what exactly is going on. They’ll understand that there’s a risk involved, for instance, a lot of talk has been about Cade. I’ve also got a grad transfer committed and signed to come to our university, so it would in a sense be his only opportunity to play college basketball, his last opportunity. So, those conversations will be real and thorough and I’m going to make sure we guide them and help them make the best decision. And if it’s the case they want to be at Oklahoma State, then we’re going to support that as well, but we’re not going to screw these kids over again after what has already happened.”
But at this point in the process, I believe it’s way too early for any player to make a decision about the upcoming season, or his future at Oklahoma State. I’m not saying that because I believe all these guys need to stay and try to make the best of the situation, but because OSU is going to appeal the NCAA’s ruling.
That means from the time Oklahoma State submits an appeal, which would be June 5, that there’s a stay on the penalties, meaning that until the appeals process is over, there’s no restrictions.
So, should the appeals process last until next April, then the Cowboys will get the chance to play in the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments, should the season go everyone believes it should.
But whatever happens, today has only gone to confirm what every Oklahoma State fan has known since the spring of 2017: Mike Boynton loves and cares about his players and people first.
“As important as Cade is, and has been to me for the last several years and would be to our program if he players here, there are 12 other guys that I needed to make sure that they heard from me as well,” said coach Boynton. “So, it was a short conversation [with Cunningham]. I think he was appreciative that he heard it from me. I think he admires at least that we've got a strong enough relationship that I wouldn't try to hide anything from him. But I'll tell you what I told him, I didn't spend four years recruiting him and telling him how much I cared about them to now abandon what's important to him. We're going to have conversations over the next few days, probably weeks, and we're going to try to look at all the options, whatever they are: G League, overseas, another university, stay at Oklahoma State. At the end of the day, whatever his family and he decide is best for his future, I'm going to get right in tow with that and I’m gonna support him 100%.”
