Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe on Why He Chose Oklahoma State
STILLWATER -- Oklahoma State's 2020 class took a massive jump up in the rankings Friday evening as four-star forward Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe announced his commitment to the Pokes.
Moncrieffe, 6-7, 195-pounds, marked the second four-star commitment of the class as he joined Rondel Walker, another top-100 player in the 2020 class, as well as the No. 1 overall prospect in the country in Cade Cunningham.
With the commitment of Moncrieffe, the Cowboys moved up to No. 9 in the national rankings, their highest ranking since the 2005 class ranked No. 1. It also greatly strengthened Oklahoma State's recruiting pipeline into Canada.
Moncrieffe teamed up with Sports Illustrated shortly after his commitment went live to write an article as to why he chose Oklahoma State.
I'm going to start off by saying that it should come as no surprise that two of the main reasons for his commitment involves 'feeling at home' and Cade Cunningham.
Feeling at home, or a part of the family is something that each and everyone of Mike Boynton's signees have said. They've also felt like they weren't lied to to try and get them on campus.
Something that Boynton and Co. told Moncrieffe is that they want him to 'get downhill and score in transition and shoot when [he's] open.'
If you've watched Moncrieffe's highlight tapes, you'll know that he's fast in transition and is very explosive.
“Matthew has the ability to eventually be one of the top scorers in the Big 12 because he combines the perfect blend of athleticism and skill," SI's Director of Basketball Recruiting Jason Jordan said. "He excels slashing and, most importantly, remains in attack mode. Cade running the show will only upgrade his impact, which is one of the main reasons he picked the Cowboys.”
The duo of Cunningham and Moncrieffe played together this past summer at the Pangos All-American camp and according to Moncrieffe, Cunningham is 'one of the most unselfish players' that he has ever played with. That's a rather exciting phrase, especially when you're talking about one of the most prolific scores in the country this season.
"[Cunningham] keeps it simple and that’s what my game is all about," wrote Moncrieffe. "His scoring ability is really underrated to me, but just having that element opens up so much more for the offense.
"I know that we’re gonna make a strong duo."
Something else that's important to note that came out of Moncrieffe's piece is something that I've written about several times: JT Thor.
Thor was also at the Pangos All-American camp and played alongside Moncrieffe and Cunningham.
"Right now, I’m trying to add J.T. Thor to our class," wrote Moncrieffe. "I’m already texting him trying to see where his head is with the whole process. I really want him on the squad with us.
Me, J.T. and Cade all played together at the Pangos Camp and we all had a great chemistry out there so I know it would carryover to next season."
There's still two spots remaining in the 2020 class, so keep an eye on Thor moving forward. Also, a guy we've written about several times is North Star (NE) four-star guard Donovan Williams.
