Hoops Recruiting Roundup: A Look at How Boynton and Co. Could Finish 2022 Class

(This article will change over the coming days and weeks with the recruiting process playing out)

STILLWATER – We’re now exactly two weeks after Oklahoma State basketball finished its 2021-22 season with a bang, a 52-51 win over No. 12 Texas Tech in Stillwater.

Depending on a few variables, Mike Boynton and Co. currently have 10 scholarships to work with going into next season. Bryce Williams has graduated and exhausted his eligibility, Donovan Williams has entered the transfer portal and Isaac Likekele is the third scholarship, but he still has one year of eligibility remaining. Should he decide to return, Boynton and Co. will have just two scholarships to work with.

However, the number of scholarships will also depend on how Boynton decides to handle the loss of three scholarships over the next couple of years due to the penalty from the NCAA.

Sophomore center Moussa Cisse took to Twitter a week ago to announce he’ll be returning to Stillwater for at least one more season. Not only is that a huge piece returning to next year’s roster, but it’s one less piece Boynton and Co. will have to find.

So, based on what’s gone on the past few weeks, we’re going to take a look at a couple of prospects Boynton and Co. are looking at to potentially fill some roster openings.

Dantwan Grimes – PG – Kilgore (TX) Junior College: Grimes is a 6-2, 190-pound point guard out of Kilgore (TX) Junior College. He currently holds more than 20 offers, including OSU, Bryant, FIU, St. Bonaventure, UMBC and Wichita State among others.

OSU offered Grimes back in late February following a solid sophomore season, where he averaged 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 34 games. He also shot 39% from the field, 36% from 3-point range and 81.3% from the free throw line.

Grimes helped lead Kilgore to a 30-2 overall record and a Mid-South Regional Championship and a berth into the national tournament as a No. 3 seed. They beat No. 14 South Plains, 56-48, in the opening round, but fell to No. 11 Triton, 76-65, in the second round.

Grimes would be a great addition to the roster because he not only adds solid shooting from the floor, but he’s a facilitator, something Boynton said this team needs to add going into next season.

Skyy Clark – PG – Montverde Academy: OSU reached out to Clark shortly after he requested his release from Kentucky in early March. Clark is a 6-3, 200-pound point guard out of Montverde Academy, who committed to Kentucky in late 2020, then signed a year later. It was unclear why Clark requested his release, but with starting point guard Sahvir Wheeler likely to return, it starts to make a little more sense.

Clark would be another great addition to next year’s roster and I feel OSU is in a decent position as they were in his top six before he committed to Kentucky the first time around.

Jaelin Llewellyn – G – Princeton (transfer): Llewellyn is one of the more highly-sought transfers in the country after this past season. Since entering the transfer portal, he’s been reached out to by Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, Ohio State, Ole Miss and Oklahoma among others.

He’s a 6-2, 185-pound guard who was a first team All-Ivy selection following the 2021-22 season. He averaged 15.7 points a game, while shooting 45% from the floor and 39% from 3-point range. He also dished out 73 assists but turned the ball over 50 times.

The addition of Llewellyn helps fill the need of a solid outside scorer, as well as a facilitator.

Aidan Shaw – F – Blue Valley, Stilwell, KS: Shaw is a 6-8, 190-pound wing out of Blue Valley who signed with Missouri back in November. However, since Mizzou fired former head coach Cuonzo Martin, Shaw has since decommitted and received his release from the school.

The Cowboys were one of the final teams in on Shaw before his commitment to Mizzou, as he had them in his top 6, along with Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas and Maryland, and took a visit to Stillwater last June.

Shaw is currently ranked as a four-star prospect and is listed as the No. 52 overall prospect in the 2022 class.