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DALLAS – Cade Cunningham knew the question was coming at some point and, while he’ll concede that “it’s a fair question,” he’s not ready to give an answer.
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Earlier this month when Cunningham committed to Oklahoma State he released a video and said, “To be honest, I was this close to picking a different school, but blood is always thicker than water,” eluding to his brother Cannen being on staff at Oklahoma State as the reason the Cowboys ultimately won out.
“I’m not gonna say which school it was,” said Cunningham, the No. 1 overall player in USA Today Sports’ Chosen 25. “But the small space between my two fingers was how close I came to going to another school. Things changed though and I’m happy where I’m at. I wouldn’t want to be at any other school; I can honestly say that. It feels good to know you made the right decision.”
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On Friday at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest, Cunningham channeled that positive energy into a big win, scoring 15 points and handing out eight assists to lead the No. 1 Eagles past No. 22 Duncanville (Texas) 84-51. It was Cunningham’s first high school game in his home state since transferring to Montverde from Bowie (Arlington, Texas) the summer before his junior year.
“it was great to be back home,” Cunningham said. “It’s been a minute for me, but it just felt great to get the chance to play in front of everybody. Now, I’m just focused on winning a GEICO Nationals title with my guys.”
Last year in the GEICO Nationals semifinals, Montverde blew a 16-point second half lead and fell to eventual champion IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida), who currently checks in at No. 2.
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“We’re No. 1, but we’re the hunters,” Cunningham said. “We’re trying to beat the brakes off every team we play like they’re No. 1. We’re just hungrier this year than we’ve ever been. We’re coming for everybody.”
Follow Jason Jordan on Twitter: @JayJayUSATODAY