Oklahoma State star Cade Cunningham left Thursday’s game against Baylor after rolling his left ankle, but he was able to walk back to the locker room under his own power after the game ended.
“It happened right in front of me there,” coach Mike Boynton said. “I didn’t see anything unusual other than stepping on a guy’s foot. We’ll get an evaluation and as soon as we know more we’ll pass it on.”
Cunningham was dribbling up the left side of the floor in the final minute when he stepped on a Baylor player’s foot and fell to the floor. He was grabbing at his left foot before going to the sideline and not returning.
“I’m always first and foremost worried about his future,” Boynton said. “As much as winning and representing our program is, my commitment to these kids is always first. So I want to make sure he’s OK. If he’s OK, he’ll continue to work with us. If it’s anything more serious than it feels right now, then we’ll evaluate how we move forward.”
“I have no idea. It didn’t seem that way,” Boynton added when asked how serious it was. “I’m not a doctor, so I don’t want to give information either way. I saw him walking on his power back to the locker room. That’s what we’ve got trainers and doctors for, they’ll give me information and I’ll follow their guidance.”
Before his injury, Cunningham kept Oklahoma State in the game against Baylor. He finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists — with 20 of those points coming in the second half. The Cowboys cut a 13-point Baylor lead all the way down to four points in the final three minutes, but the Bears pulled away down the stretch at the free-throw line.
Cunningham, a 6-foot-8 freshman guard, is the projected No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA draft. He’s averaging 19.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists on the season.