STILLWATER – This was a big offseason for Oklahoma State and Mike Boynton and Co. The No. 1 overall prospect in the 2020 class, Cade Cunningham, was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. On the other side of the things, Boynton and Co. brought in four transfers, Moussa Cisse (Memphis), Bryce Thompson (Kansas), Tyreek Smith (Texas Tech) and Woody Newton (Syracuse).
Both Cisse and Thompson were five-star top-25 prospects in the 2020 class, making that three five-star prospects in the past two season for Boynton and Co.
Related: Mike Boynton addresses the media following the first fall practice
Cisse committed to Oklahoma State on July 15 after spending a few months in the transfer portal and going through the virtually the entire NBA Draft process, except actually getting drafted.
This was the first time Oklahoma State media has gotten to talk with Cisse about his decision to come to Oklahoma State and he gave an answer that we hear from virtually every single guy who commits: it just feels like home.
“I saw them last year; they play as a team, they’re all great,” said Cisse. “When I came on my visit, it was a great vibe, everything was good. It really caught my heart, I was like ‘I feel like I’m home.’ Coach Mike, he’s a really great coach and he’s been seeing me play since I was little; he’s from New York, that’s where I great up at, so that’s all why I came here.”
Cisse’s a 6-11, 250-pound center with a 7-6 wingspan. Watching practice yesterday evening, he’s incredibly athletic and physical and is going to disrupt a lot of shots down low. He’s also going to be a force on the offensive end with how physical he is down low in the paint.
"Did you watch practice? He looks different. He makes you look different all by himself,” said head coach Mike Boynton. “The thing that I've been most pleased with is that he's like a sponge. The kid just wants to be coached and challenged to be his best, and we're pretty intentional about trying to find guys who have those types of characteristics, who have that mentality and we feel fortunate that as talented as he is, he still knows he's got a lot of room to grow. Certainly, look forward to his presence as an interior presence defensively for us and as a lob threat potentially, and somebody who can also be a force on the offensive end in the paint for us."
He was the AAC Freshman of the Year this past season after averaging 6.6 points and 6.3 rebounds a game. He also blocked 46 shots on the season and was just shy of becoming just the fifth Memphis player since 1992-93 to average at least 7.0 points and 7.0 rebounds a game.
He ranked seventh in the AAC in rebounding, was second in the conference in blocked shots per game at 1.6 and recorded four double-doubles on the year with six games with 10 or more rebounds.
"I probably talked to eight [NBA] teams who either interviewed him or brought him in for workouts,” said coach Boynton. “First of all, he just turned 19 like two weeks ago, so the truth of his story is he's supposed to be a freshman now. He left high school a year early, I think kind of in hopes to expedite the process of getting drafted. What we've talked about is, don't worry about skipping steps. Like let's let the process play out, and I think that's some of the things he heard from the scouts and GMs who he worked out for and talked to. He’s still young. There's a lot of upside here 6-11, 250 pounds with like 3% body fat and 7-6 wingspan, you got a really good shot of at least somebody given him a chance. Let's just keep watering the grass, let's keep taking care of things day-to-day and make sure that we don't try to rush the process, because as long as he doesn't do something crazy, he's gonna have a shot. It is what it is, and so we want to make sure that he's most prepared when that time comes, and that his time here is a benefit to that experience at the next level."
There’s no question Cisse adds another layer to the paint for the Cowboys, especially with Kalib Boone down there, as Boone led the Big 12 in blocks last season. Throw Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe into the mix, along with Tyreek Smith and Boynton and Co. have a pretty solid presence in the paint going into the 2021-22 season.
