5-Star Guard Bryce Thompson Picks Kansas Over Oklahoma State

Bryce Thompson ended the drama on Tuesday on CBS Sports HQ (shout out!) as he picked Kansas as his college destination over Oklahoma State.

This wasn’t a huge surprise as everything over the final few days turned up Jayhawks. He didn’t delay in his choice as he unzipped the hoodie and revealed a blue shirt just a few minutes into the interview.

Thompson just made calls to the coaches who recruited him to officially inform them of his decision. Visibly upset having to break the news to the coaches he had to turn down.

— Kyle Boone (@Kyle__Boone) November 12, 2019

“I’ll be attending the University of Kansas,” Thompson told Evan Daniels of CBS Sports. “It’s a great fit for me. [Bill Self] told me where I can fit in … go in and make an impact. Come in and work for it … contribute on Day 1.”

The next big Kansas Jayhawk.

Bryce Thompson officially commits to playing in Lawrence for Bill Self and @KUHoops.https://t.co/8azcNxTE3n pic.twitter.com/iR5moEnQe5

— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) November 12, 2019

Bryce’s father, Rod, played for Bill Self when Self was at Tulsa.

“It factored in a lot,” added Thompson. “My dad is in my corner, he told me everything about the coaches and how they were good to him.

It’s a bummer for Mike Boynton and Oklahoma State as adding another top-20 guy in Bryce to a class that already features the No. 2 player — Cade Cunningham — and another top-100 guy — Rondel Walker — would have elevated OSU to likely have a top-five class. Thompson is currently No. 19 nationally and the No. 1 player in the state of Oklahoma.

Congrats to that young man and his family. Loved having the opportunity to build a strong relationship with all of them. A special group of people and we wish them all the best… Except maybe twice a year.

— Mike Boynton (@thacoachmike) November 12, 2019

Still, there are spots to fill and players who can fill them for Boynton. As of right now, OSU has the No. 21 class in the country but is poised to make a leap into the top 15 or top 10 depending on who they add (for example: if they add JT Thor, they jump to No. 6).

For Thompson, it’s the end of a long and winding recruiting road. He’ll head to KU next fall and then likely off to the NBA in some spring after that. He’s a stud and will be a good player in college. It’s a big miss by OSU, for sure, but when you keep taking swings at whales, you’re going to have big misses every once in a while.