No. 1 2026 In-State Recruit Jalen Montonati Visits Oklahoma State
The Oklahoma State Cowboys are off to a 5-2 start to the basketball season under first-year head coach Steve Lutz. They won three straight games to start the season before falling to Florida Atlantic in the opener of the Charleston Classic. The Pokes took care of business on Wednesday with a 76-55 victory over Tulsa.
In attendance for the Cowboys victory over Tulsa was one of the most sought-after prep players in the nation. Owasso junior Jalen Montonati is not your average high school hooper from Oklahoma.
2026 Top-25 prospect Jalen Montonati told @LeagueRDY he will be in attendance at Oklahoma State’s game vs. Tulsa on Wednesday.
— Sam Kayser - 24/7 High School Hoops (@247HSHoops) December 2, 2024
He told me he’s also looking to get to Kansas State, Baylor and SMU for games this season.
Montonati recently took an unofficial to Oklahoma. #23 in… pic.twitter.com/ty7oEGpm2y
The 6-foot-7 guard is a four-star recruit and helped lead Owasso to their first OSSAA State Championship in school history as sophomore. Montonati scored 34 points in the State Championship game and was also named the Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year. He is currently the No. 24 overall prospect in the country and the No. 1 recruit in the Oklahoma for the 2026 class.
Montonati has deep seeded roots in the Oklahoma State basketball program. His father, Brian Montonati, played three seasons with the Cowboys under legendary head coach Eddie Sutton. Those Oklahoma State teams made the NCAA Tournament in all three seasons Montonati was on the roster. In his final season with the Cowboys in 2000, the team made a run to the Elite Eight and Montonati was named to the Big 12 All-Conference team.
'26 Jalen Montonati is one of the best shooting prospects in the nation. Spot ups, off dribble, and off movement at 6'7 regardless of contest with high release. Handle and physicality continue to improve.
— shanku nair (@shanku_nair) September 11, 2024
40% from 3 on 106 attempts, 58.1 EFG% on jump shots (!!).@JalenMontonati https://t.co/R6UehBrLQ2 pic.twitter.com/yce77TqvQp
In addition to Oklahoma State, Jalen Montonati holds offers from Kansas, Indiana, USC, Oklahoma, Iowa and others. Montonati had this to say about Oklahoma State in a recent interview with ON3.
“My visit was with Coach (Mike) Boynton, but I’ve been in consistent contact with the new staff, and they re-offered, and we are building a relationship. I’ve been going to Gallagher Arena since I was a little kid, you know since my dad played there. Being around everyone there, it’s like a big family. The historical success that Eddie Sutton had there and the impact he had at Oklahoma State for a long time is inspiring. I spoke with Coach (Steve) Lutz and Coach (Keiton) Page a couple of weeks ago on campus and they were at all of my NBPA Top 100 Camp games,” said Montonati.
Growing up around Gallagher-Iba Arena may be just the inside scoop the Cowboys need to land the talented Montonati.
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Taylor Skieens has been an avid sports journalist with the McCurtain Gazette in Idabel, Oklahoma for seven years. He holds the title of Sports Editor for one of the oldest remaining print publications in the state of Oklahoma. Taylor grew up in the small lumber town of Wright City Oklahoma where he played baseball and basketball for the Lumberjax.