It's not unusual for a college basketball coach to speak glowingly about one of his players who's bound for stardom in the NBA.
But those high remarks can hold even more weight when they're echoed from someone outside the program. Or, in this instance, from a rival conference coach.
While speaking to Zach Gelb on CBS Sports Radio Wednesday night, Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard sang the praises of Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham, the projected No. 1 overall pick in this year's NBA Draft. And when Beard broke down Cunningham's skillset, he didn't hesitate to compare the highly touted freshman to two of the NBA's greatest players of all-time.
“He’s like the closest I’ve really kind of seen to like a Magic Johnson or LeBron,” Beard said of Cunningham. “The best thing he does is pass, and then he can score and rebound and do all the other stuff, too. But to me, the ability to pass means you can anticipate, see things, you’re unselfish, you’re just wired right. The best players in the history of our game, they could pass… His passing ability, it’s like you’re out there with Magic or LeBron, if that makes sense... In my opinion, he’s the No. 1 pick and in my opinion, he’s an NBA All-Star one day.”
Cunningham, who averaged an impressive 20.2 points per game with 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists for Oklahoma State this season, became just the fourth freshman to be ever be named the Big 12's Player of the Year. On Friday night, he'll lead the No. 4 seed Cowboys in a Midwest region matchup against No. 13 seed Liberty.
Of the seven Big 12 conference teams in this year's March Madness, Beard believes Oklahoma State is primed to make a national title run with Cunningham on the floor.
“Oklahoma State’s really good," Beard told Gelb. "Not only do they have the best player in basketball, they’ve also got others who can really play. In the Big 12, we all root for each other. Everybody can make a run. But I see something special out of Oklahoma State, because they’re playing their best when it matters most.”
As for Beard's own team -- No. 6 seed Texas Tech -- they're scheduled to face No. 11 seed Utah State in the South region on Friday afternoon. The Red Raiders were the national runner-up back in 2019.
The entire conversation between Beard and Gelb can be listened to in the player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.