NBA likely next stop for Oklahoma State freshman Cunningham
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ā Just like that, Cade Cunninghamās college career appears to be over.
The 6-foot-8 freshman point guard scored 24 points in Oklahoma Stateās 80-70 loss to Oregon State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night. The first-team AP All-American is expected to be a high pick in the NBA draft ā possibly No. 1 overall.
And though he didn't commit either way when asked if it was his last game, Cunningham spoke as though heās looking beyond college.
āItās been special,ā he said of playing at Oklahoma State. āI think thatās the best way to describe it. I think the biggest thing is I surrounded myself around great people. More than anything, thatās the thing Iām most proud of. Thatās the thing, I feel like Iāve grown up the most by being around good people who pushed me to be somebody good on the court and off the court.
"Iām going to miss it, for sure.ā
Cunningham led the Big 12 in scoring, yet he was a do-it-all performer who often saved his best moments for late-game surges. In his most dynamic performance, he scored 10 of his 40 points in overtime to help the Cowboys win at rival Oklahoma.
Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said Cunningham was a joy to coach.
āIt was never about his draft status. It was never about his points,ā Boynton said. āIt was never about anything that was personal. Everything he did every day was pour into our program. I hope he had as good an experience playing as I did coaching him.ā
Cunningham said Boynton is just getting started. The 39-year-old got his first NCAA Tournament win Friday against Liberty.
āCoach Mike is a big-time coach," Cunningham said. "Heās a big-time people person. Heās somebody you want to be around. I feel like the way that we played this year, I expect a lot of recruits to see that and see coach Mike and say thatās the kind of guy I want to play for, and rightfully so.ā
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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and updated bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket