by Ben Johnson (@BenJohnsonTUL)4/17/2018 8:16:17 PM
posted in: Articles | 1,826 views
Joey and Stephen Graham had cornered the market on basketball-playing twins at Oklahoma State. That was until this week.
On Monday, Memorial’s Kalib and Keylan Boone announced their verbal commitments to Oklahoma State, halting a recruiting process that was sure to showcase some high-profile schools.
“It’s a very special day,” said Keylan Boone, a 6-foot-6 forward. “We’ve been talking about this a lot. I want to be a Cowboy and join the family. It’s the right time, and we didn’t care too much about time; we just wanted to be apart of OSU.”
Having just concluded their junior seasons for the Chargers, the Boone brothers have summer ball and their senior years still on the horizon. But even though their verbal commitments are non-binding, the siblings seem set on Stillwater.
“It’s always been the plan to go to college together,” said KalibBoone, a 6-foot-8, 190-pound forward who led the Chargers with 17.1 points and 12.8 rebounds per game this past season. “Growing up, our parents said we were going to go to college together, and we didn’t believe them. But as we’ve gotten older, I’ve realized I need him and he needs me.”
And Memorial has needed the twins. With Keylan and KalibBoone leading the way, the Chargers have now won two straight Class 5A state championships, the most recent being captured with a 79-67 victory over Booker T. Washington in mid March.
“These are two players that can help you win a lot of game in the Big 12,” Memorial coach Bobby Allison said. “They can play with anyone and help make long runs in March. They’re used to winning, and their winning percentage is astronomical.
“But more than that, they’re both great teammates and great in the locker room. They are as good of teammates as I’ve had here.”
And while the recruiting process may be shutdown for the Boone twins, Keylan Boone still has some aspirations to achieve in the next calendar year.
“Just trying to stay qualified right now and get our stars up and go from being a three-star right now to a five-star,” he said. “Want to make the finals in summer ball, too. Beyond that, work on my defense, play with more energy and be more engaged. Just have to work on my craft and stay consistent with my shooting.”
Kalib Boone is looking forward to slipping on his red, white and blue uniform each time throughout his senior year.
“The school has cared so much about me, my passion and my dream, and it’s been an honor to play at Memorial,” he said. “I would do anything for my teammates, and I want to bring a three-peat to Memorial.”
Allison is just glad the Boone twins are staying in Oklahoma.
“They both value being from Oklahoma,” Allison said. “They value how Oklahomans have treated them. They loved how OSU fans treated Mitchell Solomon this year. Being from Oklahoma even gives them some extra juice.”