Oklahoma State basketball: Cade Cunningham living up to the prodigious hype for Pokes
Cade Cunningham has helped turn Oklahoma State into a Big 12 threat.
It’s not often that the country’s best freshman ends up somewhere other than Duke, Kentucky, or Kansas, but that was the case this year with Cade Cunningham. The star point guard opted to sign with Oklahoma State and has maintained his commitment to the school even though the program was slapped with a one-year postseason ban, potentially preventing Cunningham from participating in the NCAA Tournament.
The Cowboys are appealing the punishment, which could delay the proceedings long enough to get Cunningham into March Madness. That would be a win for all college basketball fans since Cunningham has become one of the nation’s most exciting players to watch on a nightly basis.
Cunningham can do it all for the Cowboys, averaging 17.8 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game, 3.8 assists per game and shoots 45.6 percent from the floor for good measure. The Cowboys saw Cunningham play the role of stat-sheet stuffer in an upset of Kansas last week, racking up 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the victory.
Cade Cunningham has been as good as advertised for Oklahoma State basketball
Oklahoma State fans have fallen in love with Cunningham since he showcases a combination of jaw-dropping athleticism on both ends of the floor as well as prodigious passing. Check out this sequence from the end of the Cowboys’ win over Kansas, where Cunningham’s ridiculous block sets the stage for the go-ahead bucket on the other end.
https://twitter.com/espn/status/1349190121157890054?s=20
Cunningham’s passing has also been incredible as he has shown an innate ability to both use his body and read defenders in order to set up his teammates for success. Let’s take a look at some examples from a recent Oklahoma State game against Kansas State.
Some Cade Cunningham live dribble passing. Has functionality with both hands, in multiple settings (post and PnR here), and uses velocity and timing while reading help defenders to get the most out of passing windows pic.twitter.com/DFXO7kJLvF
— Max Carlin (@maxacarlin) January 15, 2021
Oklahoma State has also seen Cunningham be so good on the offensive end that teams have to adapt their defensive styles to try and take him out of the game. ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla noted that in the Kansas game Cunningham’s offensive explosion early forced Bill Self to take the Jayhawks out of a 2-3 zone and switch to a Triangle and 2 in order to try to contain him.
How good is @OSUMBB Freshman, @CadeCunningham_? This mostly first half explosion forced @KUHoops Coach Bill Self to switch to a 2-3 zone first, then, out of desperation, a Triangle & 2. Watch these & you’ll see why. pic.twitter.com/UXyGWr3Uml
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) January 13, 2021
It is truly a treat to watch Cunningham play because he showcases so many aspects of how the game of basketball should be played. Cunningham has incredible basketball instincts, as he has shown on the defensive side of the floor, as well as the freakish athleticism to throw down monster dunks in transition.
The game-winner got the headlines. But this sequence from Cade Cunningham was even better. Helps on the drive, recovers to run the shooter off a three, slides to stay in front, walls up, gets the rebound, beats two defenders, avoids a charge, finds a teammate in the dunk spot. pic.twitter.com/uk8lM47Zde
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) December 13, 2020
https://twitter.com/espn/status/1335435691392704512?s=20
The Big 12 is a stacked conference with teams like Baylor, Kansas, Texas and West Virginia but Cunningham’s presence makes Oklahoma State a big threat as well. This will undoubtedly be Cunningham’s only season in Stillwater but he is putting on an incredible show while he’s there.
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