'Film Room': Boynton and Pastrana on Pena

Oklahoma State coaches Mike Boynton and Erik Pastrana do a film breakdown on incoming freshman forward Montreal Pena

STILLWATER – We’re continuing with the Oklahoma State basketball Film Series on Twitter and next on the list is forward Montreal Pena. Pena is a 6-9, 200-pound forward out of Arlington (TX) Martin High School who signed with the Pokes during the November signing period.

When Pena signed, it vaulted the Pokes' recruiting class into the top 10 nationally, and the class is now in the top-five. Pena is listed as a three-star prospect, but he's the No. 53 ranked power forward in the country, as well as being listed as the No. 15 overall prospect out of the Lone Star State.

Pena was a member of the AAU team Texas Titans along with Cade Cunningham and Rondel Walker, so this year's class should have a ton of chemistry.

Like most high school players that sign with a D1 program, Pena will have to get into the weight room and put on some weight, but he’s a great athlete with a ton of potential.

“Talk about someone who can play above the rim, we definitely have some athletes coming into this class,” said coach Boynton.

This is how Mike Boynton and Co. describe Pena

• Long athletic forward

• Elite level athlete

• Runs hard in transition

• Solid defender

• Active on the glass

“Talk about long-term ability, there’s a lot of things to work with here,” Mike Boynton said of Montreal Pena. “Lot of physical tools. He’s a finisher as a shot blocker; you might think he’s tall when you just look at him, but he’s certainly somebody that can move and finish. Runs like a deer; has great, great upside. I think one of the things that’s underappreciated about him is his skill. He’s a guy who can pass and he can make jump shots as well. We’ll primarily need him early on to be somebody who can run the floor, catch and finish around the basket and then protect the rim for us on the other end.”

“[Pena’s] just another piece of the puzzle and us just adding to length and athleticism,” Erik Pastrana said. “I think those things all translate, not just offensively being able to play fast, but defensively being able to guard multiple positions, being able to get up the floor and disrupt offense. Obviously, his ability to protect the rim; us having KB [Kalib Boone] and Yor [Anei], we already have rim protectors, so we’re just kind of building on that, which is really important the way we defend and pressure the basketball.”