Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Basketball

Cannen Cunningham
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Phone:
- (405) 744-5845
Former SMU standout forward Cannen Cunningham is in his second season as an assistant coach for the Cowboy basketball program.
Cunningham, who specializes in working with OSU’s big men, helped the Cowboys peak at the perfect time in 2020 - in March - and as a result Oklahoma State ended the pandemic-shortened season having won eight of their last 11 games.Â
Under Cunningham’s guidance, Cameron McGriff earned his second career All-Big 12 honor in 2020. The senior reached double-figures in each of his last 13 games and averaged 18.9 points on 54.5 percent shooting over the last seven contests. McGriff became just the sixth player in OSU history with at least 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 55 blocks.
Also a mentor in the classroom, OSU also earned the coveted NABC Team Academic Excellence Award in 2020 for brining home the second-best GPA in program history.
“I have watched Cannen’s development as a coach over the last few years, and there’s not doubt he’s one of the up-and-coming talents in the nation,” said Cowboy head coach Mike Boynton. “He has a great knack for player development and has a relatability with players that will be a tremendous asset to the continual growth of our program. Cannen has strong knowledge of basketball as he has learned from a couple of our game’s best teachers. I have no doubt that his energy and relationships can elevate our program to the next level.”
Cunningham spent the 2018-19 season on staff at Tulane under Mike Dunleavy Sr., where he served as the associate director of video operations for the Green Wave.
While at Tulane, Cunningham was responsible for acquiring, editing and distributing team film to the coaching staff and assisting with opponent scouting.
Cunningham played a season professionally in Poland with Energa Czarni Slupsk in 2015-16 before returning home to pursue his coaching career in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. He was the head coach of Drive Nation’s U16 AAU team on the prestigious EYBL circuit, and also served as an assistant coach with the Texas Titans U15 squad.
“First and foremost, I’d like to thank God for this extremely exciting opportunity to be on coach Boynton’s staff at Oklahoma State,” Cunningham said. “Coaching is genuinely what I love to do, and I’ve had some amazing mentors along the way, like Larry Brown, who I consider the greatest coach of all time. He’s had such a huge impact on me both on and off the court, as has Mike Dunleavy, who taught me so many new ways to look at the game of basketball. I have a ton of respect for coach Boynton and what he’s done here in Stillwater, and I’m grateful for this opportunity to do what I love at such a high level.”
In 2017-18, Cunningham took over as head coach at Highland Park Middle School in Dallas, guiding the A, B and C teams to respective district titles. In addition, Cunningham was head coach of Drive Nation’s U16 AAU team during the 2018 spring, leading the club on the prestigious EYBL circuit.
He got his start as a middle school head coach at Coram Deo Academy in Flower Mound, Texas, guiding the team to the district title in 2016-17, while also serving as assistant coach for the Texas Titans’ U15 team on the AAU circuit.
Cunningham had a strong four-year collegiate career at SMU from 2011-15, where he established a program record for games played with 134 and helped the Mustangs reach the 2015 NCAA Tournament under head coach Larry Brown. His 131 blocks ranked sixth and his 52.1 percent field goal percentage stood 10th in school history at the time of his graduation.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management at SMU in 2015.
Cunningham, who specializes in working with OSU’s big men, helped the Cowboys peak at the perfect time in 2020 - in March - and as a result Oklahoma State ended the pandemic-shortened season having won eight of their last 11 games.Â
Under Cunningham’s guidance, Cameron McGriff earned his second career All-Big 12 honor in 2020. The senior reached double-figures in each of his last 13 games and averaged 18.9 points on 54.5 percent shooting over the last seven contests. McGriff became just the sixth player in OSU history with at least 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 55 blocks.
Also a mentor in the classroom, OSU also earned the coveted NABC Team Academic Excellence Award in 2020 for brining home the second-best GPA in program history.
“I have watched Cannen’s development as a coach over the last few years, and there’s not doubt he’s one of the up-and-coming talents in the nation,” said Cowboy head coach Mike Boynton. “He has a great knack for player development and has a relatability with players that will be a tremendous asset to the continual growth of our program. Cannen has strong knowledge of basketball as he has learned from a couple of our game’s best teachers. I have no doubt that his energy and relationships can elevate our program to the next level.”
Cunningham spent the 2018-19 season on staff at Tulane under Mike Dunleavy Sr., where he served as the associate director of video operations for the Green Wave.
While at Tulane, Cunningham was responsible for acquiring, editing and distributing team film to the coaching staff and assisting with opponent scouting.
Cunningham played a season professionally in Poland with Energa Czarni Slupsk in 2015-16 before returning home to pursue his coaching career in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. He was the head coach of Drive Nation’s U16 AAU team on the prestigious EYBL circuit, and also served as an assistant coach with the Texas Titans U15 squad.
“First and foremost, I’d like to thank God for this extremely exciting opportunity to be on coach Boynton’s staff at Oklahoma State,” Cunningham said. “Coaching is genuinely what I love to do, and I’ve had some amazing mentors along the way, like Larry Brown, who I consider the greatest coach of all time. He’s had such a huge impact on me both on and off the court, as has Mike Dunleavy, who taught me so many new ways to look at the game of basketball. I have a ton of respect for coach Boynton and what he’s done here in Stillwater, and I’m grateful for this opportunity to do what I love at such a high level.”
In 2017-18, Cunningham took over as head coach at Highland Park Middle School in Dallas, guiding the A, B and C teams to respective district titles. In addition, Cunningham was head coach of Drive Nation’s U16 AAU team during the 2018 spring, leading the club on the prestigious EYBL circuit.
He got his start as a middle school head coach at Coram Deo Academy in Flower Mound, Texas, guiding the team to the district title in 2016-17, while also serving as assistant coach for the Texas Titans’ U15 team on the AAU circuit.
Cunningham had a strong four-year collegiate career at SMU from 2011-15, where he established a program record for games played with 134 and helped the Mustangs reach the 2015 NCAA Tournament under head coach Larry Brown. His 131 blocks ranked sixth and his 52.1 percent field goal percentage stood 10th in school history at the time of his graduation.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management at SMU in 2015.