Iowa hoops offers elite Oklahoma sophomore-to-be

The Iowa Hawkeyes made sure their name is on the list for one of the nation’s top players in the 2026 class, offering Jalen Montonati.

If you aren’t familiar with Jalen Montonati yet, it’s time to put the elite class of 2026 prospect on your radar.

Chances are he will wind up as a playmaker fans are familiar with nationally regardless of what his final college decision looks like. With that said, though, the Iowa Hawkeyes made sure that their name is on Montonati’s early offers list.

Matt Gatens and the Hawkeyes extended an offer to the 2026 recruit on May 17. Iowa joins a list of offers that also already features Arkansas, Kansas State, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Tulsa.

A 6-foot-7, 180 pound forward from Owasso High School in Owasso, Okla., Montonati is already regarded as a five-star prospect per ESPN.

ESPN ranks Montonati as the country’s No. 13 overall player in the 2026 class and as the top player from the state of Oklahoma in its early 2026 ESPN 25 rankings.

Montonati just completed a freshman season at Owasso where he entered the 6A boys state tournament averaging 19.0 points per game. He led the Rams to a state semifinal berth, topping Deer Creek, 54-39, but falling to Broken Arrow, 50-49.

His dad and head coach at Owasso, Brian Montonati, played college basketball at Oklahoma State under Eddie Sutton. Brian was a fine player, too. He averaged 12.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game during his senior season with Sutton and the Cowboys.

So, suffice it to say that Jalen Montonati has the collegiate hoops pedigree.

Jalen also plays on Nike EYBL squad MOKAN Elite where he concluded April’s live evaluation period with a strong showing in the desert. Montonati and MOKAN descended upon Legacy Sports USA in Mesa, Ariz., and he put on a show over the four-game stay, averaging 18.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. The rising wing also connected on 55% of his 3-point tries in those four games.

Montonati caught up with Pro Insight’s Conrad Chow to recap his stay in the desert and who he patterns his game after.

“Michael Porter, Jr. is one of them. Jayson Tatum. Kevin Durant. Probably those three the most,” Montonati said.

Asked what his greatest strengths were, Montonati offered up the following.

“A three-level scorer. I can score at all three levels, but I think the thing that separates me from most people is the way I approach the game in my mindset, coming into a game. You know, with the [ESPN] rankings coming out, being 13th, I know I got a target on my back every game I go into so just coming in prepared, focused and locked in,” Montonati said.

Here’s a look at some of Montonati’s highlights with Owasso from OKHoopsTV on YouTube. Plus, Jalen’s full recruiting profile and offers sheet is attached below.

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