Boone twins' OSU commitment about more than basketball
by Nathan Ruiz Published: April 21, 2018 5:15 PM CDT Updated: April 21, 2018 5:16 PM CDT
Keylan and Kalib Boone announced their commitment to Oklahoma State on Monday, but the decision might as well have come Feb. 10.
That was when, hours after a victory over West Virginia on the road, OSU basketball coach Mike Boynton and assistant Scott Sutton made it to Tulsa's BOK Center in time to watch the twins' Tulsa Memorial team take on Tulsa Washington. Seeing Boynton that night, more than 1,000 miles from where he had coached a game earlier in the day, swayed the Boones.
“I never met a coach that was willing to come back from playing that night (in West Virginia), drive all the way from Stillwater to Tulsa even when it's icy and sliding on the roads, and still come and watch me play,” Kalib said. “When he did that, that's when I was like, ‘OK, this coach is my coach.'”
Keylan and Kalib are the first verbally committed members of OSU's 2019 class and are the first Oklahomans to commit to Boynton since he became the Cowboys' coach just more than a year ago.
The Boones, who picked OSU over offers from hometown schools Oral Roberts and Tulsa, consider this decision to be about more than basketball. The twins' mother, Jamie Hawkins, was a college basketball player and spent her sophomore season at OSU. She told her sons of the school's tradition and how much she enjoyed her time there.
Keylan, a 6-foot-6 wing, wants to be an engineer, while Kalib, a 6-8 post, wants to be a broadcaster. They like the academic opportunities OSU affords them.
Boynton's care for them not only as basketball players, but also as young men, was perhaps more important than anything else.
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“He's a fantastic man,” Keylan said. “He cares about his players, more than just the basketball aspect. He's a great man, he cares, and he just wants nothing but the best for his players."
Keylan said the brothers, who can't sign letters of intent to OSU until November, have already started working on drawing more players into the Cowboys' 2019 class. There was no need for the Boones to recruit each other, though. They were committed to playing together.
Full coverage on NewsOK's OSU coverage page
“We're a dynamic duo,” said Keylan, who put up 15.8 points with 8.7 rebounds a game as a junior. “We're something greater when we're together.”
Kalib, who averaged 17 points and 13 rebounds last season, echoed his brother.
“Keylan has my back on the perimeter, and I have his back on that post,” he said. “That's what this duo's all about. He got mine, and I got his. It's just love and the will that we push each other to the limit every time we step on the court.”
The Boones will try to lead Memorial to a third straight state title next spring before joining OSU the following fall. As Oklahoma kids who dreamed of playing together, the opportunity remains surreal.
“Coach Boynton is amazing, and he has a plan,” Kalib said. “Me and Keylan thought about it, and we just want to be part of that plan.
“We just want to succeed in life, and we thought at OSU, we could do that.”
by Nathan Ruiz Published: April 21, 2018 5:15 PM CDT Updated: April 21, 2018 5:16 PM CDT
Keylan and Kalib Boone announced their commitment to Oklahoma State on Monday, but the decision might as well have come Feb. 10.
That was when, hours after a victory over West Virginia on the road, OSU basketball coach Mike Boynton and assistant Scott Sutton made it to Tulsa's BOK Center in time to watch the twins' Tulsa Memorial team take on Tulsa Washington. Seeing Boynton that night, more than 1,000 miles from where he had coached a game earlier in the day, swayed the Boones.
“I never met a coach that was willing to come back from playing that night (in West Virginia), drive all the way from Stillwater to Tulsa even when it's icy and sliding on the roads, and still come and watch me play,” Kalib said. “When he did that, that's when I was like, ‘OK, this coach is my coach.'”
Keylan and Kalib are the first verbally committed members of OSU's 2019 class and are the first Oklahomans to commit to Boynton since he became the Cowboys' coach just more than a year ago.
The Boones, who picked OSU over offers from hometown schools Oral Roberts and Tulsa, consider this decision to be about more than basketball. The twins' mother, Jamie Hawkins, was a college basketball player and spent her sophomore season at OSU. She told her sons of the school's tradition and how much she enjoyed her time there.
Keylan, a 6-foot-6 wing, wants to be an engineer, while Kalib, a 6-8 post, wants to be a broadcaster. They like the academic opportunities OSU affords them.
Boynton's care for them not only as basketball players, but also as young men, was perhaps more important than anything else.
You might also be interested in...
Could Mason Rudolph be in line to back up an aging NFL star?Mike Gundy sorting out details for OSU's spring game formatCollege Baseball Roundup: Red Raiders top Sooners in extra innings
Show more
“He's a fantastic man,” Keylan said. “He cares about his players, more than just the basketball aspect. He's a great man, he cares, and he just wants nothing but the best for his players."
Keylan said the brothers, who can't sign letters of intent to OSU until November, have already started working on drawing more players into the Cowboys' 2019 class. There was no need for the Boones to recruit each other, though. They were committed to playing together.
Full coverage on NewsOK's OSU coverage page“We're a dynamic duo,” said Keylan, who put up 15.8 points with 8.7 rebounds a game as a junior. “We're something greater when we're together.”
Kalib, who averaged 17 points and 13 rebounds last season, echoed his brother.
“Keylan has my back on the perimeter, and I have his back on that post,” he said. “That's what this duo's all about. He got mine, and I got his. It's just love and the will that we push each other to the limit every time we step on the court.”
The Boones will try to lead Memorial to a third straight state title next spring before joining OSU the following fall. As Oklahoma kids who dreamed of playing together, the opportunity remains surreal.
“Coach Boynton is amazing, and he has a plan,” Kalib said. “Me and Keylan thought about it, and we just want to be part of that plan.
“We just want to succeed in life, and we thought at OSU, we could do that.”
