5 Thoughts on Oklahoma State's 2020-21 Basketball Season

STILLWATER – If there was one word to describe Oklahoma State basketball the past year and a half it would have to be rollercoaster. There were many highs and lows through the last year and a half, but through it all, the Cowboys kept the faith and made it further than anyone really thought they could.

Related: What happens next with Mike Boynton?

Here’s my 5 Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s 2020-21 basketball season.

Cowboys kept the faith through it all

Back to the rollercoaster analogy. The ride went straight up with Cade Cunningham committing in the fall of 2019 and kept going up when Mike Boynton and Co. signed a top-five recruiting class that November and spring of 2020. Then the ride went straight down with the pandemic (not knowing if there was going to be a season), then down some more when the NCAA levied penalties against the program that included a postseason ban if the season was to be played.

The ride went straight back up after all but one Cowboy re-committed to Boynton and Co. and staying in Stillwater as the University filed an appeal with the NCAA.

The team was young but played well to start the season well but ended up losing a close one to TCU and giving up double digit leads to both Texas and West Virginia. However, they turned it on when it mattered most by knocking off seven top-20 teams in Feb. and March to finish the season ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll and played in both the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments, something not many people believed they would do.

Cade Cunningham was better than advertised (which was hard to believe)

The hype surrounding Cade Cunningham absolutely lived up to expectations, and in some cases, exceeded those expectations somehow. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2020 class and the Naismith High School Player of the Year and now a finalist for the college Naismith Player of the Year Award. Once in Stillwater, he averaged an impressive 20.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game on the season. Won a school-record nine Big 12 weekly awards, dropped 40 points and 10 rebounds against OU in Norman, was named the Big 12 Freshman and Player of the Year, won the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Year award, named the Sporting News National Freshman of the Year and First Team All-American, named a USBWA, NABC and USA Today First Team All-America selection and became the first player in Oklahoma State history to be named to the Associated Press All-America First Team.

"Man, it's been special,” said Cunningham of his one year in Stillwater. “I think that's the best way to describe it. I think the biggest thing is I surrounded myself around great people more than anything. That's the thing I'm most proud of. That's the thing that I feel like I've grown the most by just being around good people that pushed me to be somebody good on court and off the court. I'm going to miss it, for sure. This is a special group of guys.”

Mike Boynton continues to elevate the program

Mike Boynton has gotten better with each season he’s been the head coach at Oklahoma State. He had a decent first year with an already assembled team going three rounds into the NIT. The next few seasons were rough as he was trying to build out a roster, but he signed a top-20 recruiting class his season year at the helm and a top-five recruiting class this past season. We knew this staff could recruit, but we finally got to see the finished product on the court this season and boy was it fun to watch. This team knocked off three top-20 teams in overtime, Texas Tech twice and No. 6 Texas in double-overtime. They swept OU, beat a top-10 West Virginia team in back-to-back games and knocked off No. 2 Baylor in the Big 12 tournament. The season might’ve ended earlier than people wanted, but it was a heck of ride.

GIA should be rocking next season

With the excitement of the program building the past three seasons, the returning roster and hopefully full arenas in the fall, Gallagher-Iba should be rocking once again in 2021. I don’t think there’s any doubt the Pokes would’ve had multiple sell-outs this season, especially Kansas, Texas, Texas Tech and OU, but the pandemic squashed that. It’s going to be a different looking team without Cade Cunningham. Having one of the best basketball players in the country leave will do that. However, as I’m fixing to talk about below, the team should be rather exciting to watch as it shouldn’t look that much different. As more and more people get vaccinated and life starts to get back to normal, I think GIA will be the place to be once the new season gets underway.

The future of the program is bright

One of the best things about this season has been the progression of the guys on the team, especially Avery Anderson III. Started the season averaging 7.0 points and nearly doubled it by the end of the season. Finished the season scoring double digits 17 times, including the final six games of the season when he scored 31, 17, 20, 10, 21 and 16. Oklahoma State fans knew of Anderson, Big 12 fans knew of Anderson, but the 31 he dropped in the upset of No. 6 West Virginia on the road, then how he played in the Big 12 and NCAA tournament made the nation aware of Avery Anderson III.

We also saw a resurgence from Kalib Boone as the season went along, we saw exciting play from freshmen Rondel Walker and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe and Keylan Boone rose to the occasion towards the end of the season. We even saw better play out of big man Bernard Kouma, who if he continues to progress and get stronger and more confident throughout the offense, could certainly have a bigger role next season.

Ferron Flavors entered the transfer portal and Cade Cunningham is headed to the NBA, not to mention there’s typically a transfer or two. No one’s quite sure what Bryce Williams is going to do, but most of this year’s team should be back next season and will have a chance to make some noise.

"Yeah, I feel like this is just the beginning for Oklahoma State,” said Cunningham. “I'm just happy that I've been able to be a part of this. I feel like I appreciate them a lot more than they appreciate me just because I know I was a part of something special and I know it's only going to grow from here. Coach Mike [Boynton] is a big-time coach, he's a big-time people's person. He's somebody you want to be around. I feel like the way we played this year, I expect a lot of recruits to see that and see coach Mike and be like, “Oh, that's a guy I want to play for,” and rightfully so. He's somebody that instills confidence and it's not just him, he's put together a big-time staff, everybody in that locker room is wanting to win and does things, is always thinking of ways to help us win, to help us get better.

"So, yeah, I feel like Round of 32, that's this year, but I don't really expect [OSU] to be losing the first weekend anymore. I don't expect Oklahoma State to fall this short. It's special, man. You see what's going on in the locker room. You see how much the guys have grown. Avery [Anderson] was probably the one that's highlighted the most this year, but it was everybody. [Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe] grew up so much this year, Keylan [Boone], Rondel [Walker]. I don't want just to start throwing names I feel like I will forget guys, I feel like this is a special group and I know it's only going to go up from here."