Oklahoma State star Cade Cunningham left the men’s basketball game against Baylor on Thursday after rolling his left ankle, but he was able to return to the locker room on his own after the 81-70 defeat of the Cowboys.
“It happened right in front of me,” said coach Mike Boynton. “I didn’t see anything unusual other than stepping on a guy’s foot. We will do an assessment and, as soon as we know more, we will pass it on.”
Cunningham was dribbling the left side of the floor in the final minute when he stepped on Davion Mitchell de Baylor’s foot and fell to the floor. He was holding his left foot before going to the sideline and not returning.
“First of all, I’m always concerned about your future,” said Boynton of Cunningham, the first choice projected in this year’s NBA draft. “As much as winning and representing our program is, my commitment to these children always comes first. So, I want to make sure that he is well. If he is well, he will continue to work with us. If it is anything more serious than which it looks like now, then we’ll evaluate how we’ve moved forward. “
When asked about the severity of the injury, Boynton said, “I have no idea. It didn’t look like that. I’m not a doctor, so I don’t want to give information anyway. I saw him walking in his energy back to the locker room. That’s what we have coaches and doctors – they will give me information and I will follow your directions. “
Before his injury, Cunningham kept No. 17 Oklahoma State in the game against No. 3 Baylor. He finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists – with 20 of those points in the second half. The Cowboys cut Baylor’s 13-point lead to four points in the final three minutes, but the Bears retreated in the final stretch of the free throw line.
Cunningham, a 1.80 meter freshman guard, averages 19.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists this season.