Cade Cunningham Wants to Cut His List to Five, Opens Up on Recruitment

Class of 2020 guard and Oklahoma State’s everybody’s priority target Cade Cunningham is in Colorado Springs, Colorado for the USA Basketball under-19 tryouts this week.

He, along with 31 other players, is vying for a spot on the final 12-man roster that will head to Greece later this month in search of a gold medal at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

Cunningham, the No. 3 overall player in the 2020 class according to 247Composite rankings, hasn’t disappointed.

6'7 point guard Cade Cunningham has been by far the best player on the court today, despite playing up 12-18 months on the competition. Has a complete game on both ends with an incredibly high basketball IQ. Physical and competitive defensively. Can make every PNR pass already.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 16, 2019

That makes it all the more exciting (and nerve-racking) that Cunningham recently included Oklahoma State as a part of his top 10 list.

On Sunday during the camp, Cunningham spoke to ZAGSBLOG about his recruitment and his intention to whittle that list down.

“I’ve been solid,” Cunningham told ZAGSBLOG Sunday. “I feel like I can be a lot better and assert myself more. I’ve been a little bit passive but I’m just trying to feel it out a little bit.

“The USA Camp is a different place. You have to try and fit in with some of the other good players.” [ZAGSBLOG]

On of those players he is trying to fit in with could be a future teammate in Isaac Likekele, who has also impressed early during the tryouts.

Arguably the best scrimmage session I’ve taken in at a USA Basketball event. High level affair and dudes competing. Caleb Love, Jalen Green & Cade Cunningham among HS standouts. Samuell Williamson, Casey Morsell, Isaac Likekele, and Reggie Perry among college guys leaving a mark

— Corey Evans (@coreyevans_10) June 17, 2019

Cunningham named OSU in his top 10 last month, a list heavy in blueblood programs that also included Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

But it was the darkhorse Cowboys that have recently been tabbed as the favorites to land this generational player’s talents.

Now Cunningham says he’d like to whittle that list down even further.

“I want to cut it down to way less than 10, probably around five,” Cunningham said in the article. “Ten was a lot for me. I’m probably going to talk with my family some more and get it down to five. That is the goal.”

He further broke down what he’s looking for in a program and a coach.

“I want to play for a coach that is going to let me play my game,” he said. “Obviously, a school that is going to compete right away for a national championship. I want to win my first year.

“There are a lot of things. I want to play for a team that plays defense, for sure. Those are the teams that win. Good coaches. I feel that all the schools in my top ten have great coaches. Just a coach that is going to let me do what I do.”

However high Mike Boynton can push OSU’s program over the next year couple of years will greatly depend on landing top talent like Cunningham, but it appears obvious that Cunningham is high on Boynton. OSU was his first Power 5 offer back when Boynton was Brad Underwood’s assistant and the relationship has been tight ever since.

The USA Basketball camp began on Saturday and runs through Tuesday. Finalists are expected to be announced on that final day with a final roster to be announced before the team departs for Greece on June 24. So we’ll have to wait a few days to learn if Cunningham and Likekele will be teammates this summer. We’ll have to wait even longer to see if they will be teammates next fall.