In this era of college basketball, a coaching change like the one at Oklahoma State usually means a lot of turnover at the program.
The change from Mike Boynton Jr. to Steve Lutz at head coach is no exception.
By the time Lutz and the Cowboys take the floor in November, just three players will return from last year’s team, which failed to make any sort of postseason play and led to Boynton’s dismissal.
Now, Lutz — last at Western Kentucky — is tasked with rebuilding the Cowboys back into a winning program
In this edition of Portal Thoughts, we look at where the Cowboys are now and what they have left to do.
Oklahoma State’s Losses (6)
The Cowboys were going to lose a host of players, regardless of the coaching change. OSU honored six players on senior night.
Guard John-Michael Wright was foremost among them, as he averaged 8.7 points and was OSU’s third-leading scorer last season.
Guard Jarius Hicklen and center Mike Marsh were in their final seasons and averaged 4.6 points and 3.4 points, respectively.
Three were walk-ons — guards Carson Sager, Brooks Manzer, and Weston Church.
Oklahoma State’s Transfer Losses (6)
As one might expect these days, a coaching change brought serious churn in the transfer portal. The Cowboys lost a half-dozen players, three of whom were part of Boynton’s last recruiting class.
That included forward Eric Dailey Jr., who took his 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game and transferred to UCLA. Center Brandon Garrison, who averaged 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds, is now at Kentucky with former BYU coach Mark Pope. And forward Justin McBride, who averaged 2.5 points in 24 games, is now at Nevada.
The Cowboys will see guard Javon Small again. Their leading scorer with 15.1 points transferred to West Virginia.
Guard Naz Brown is now at Coastal Carolina, while guard Quion Williams is now at Abilene Christian.
Oklahoma State’s Transfer Gains (7)
Lutz needed to infuse talent, and he needed to do it right away. While OSU’s official roster isn’t up for 2024-25, Verbalcommits.com has the Cowboys with seven transfers coming in.
FIU’s Arturo Dean could give the Cowboys’ backcourt an instant scorer. He averaged 13.4 points and 4.0 assists last season for the Panthers. He’s entering his third season of college basketball.
Guard Khalil Brantley could be a bright spot right away for the Cowboys. The former La Salle star averaged 15.0 points and 5.3 rebounds while dishing out 4.2 assists last season.
Western Kentucky guard Brandon Newman joins the Cowboys for his final season after he scored 10.1 points last season, a career-high.
Forward Marchelus Avery spent last season with UCF and averaged 7.6 points and 4.0 rebounds. Before UCF, he was at New Mexico State.
Guard Davonte Davis comes in from Arkansas as a fifth-year player, having averaged 5.9 points and 3.4 rebounds last season for the Razorbacks.
Robert Jennings was a forward for Texas Tech for two season and joins the Cowboys after he averaged 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 2023-24.
Abou Ousmane was a center for Xavier last season, where he averaged 6.7 points and 6.4 rebounds. He is entering his final season of college basketball.
Oklahoma State’s Recruiting Gains (0)
Lutz was unable to hang on to Boynton’s one committed recruit, guard Jeremiah Johnson, as he asked out of his National Letter of Intent in May.
Set to Return (3)
Guard Bryce Thompson announced in April that he would return for a fourth season with the Cowboys. He missed part of last season due to injury but was the team’s second-leading scorer with 11.6 points.
Another guard, Connor Dow, is expected back. He was part of Boynton’s last recruiting class but managed 11.4 minutes per game.
Finally, Jamyron Keller, a four-star recruit who was part of last year’s class, is returning after he averaged 6.5 points as a true freshman.
What’s Left?
Lutz has three scholarships to give by this count. What he brings in at this point is likely to be developmental players who have multiple years of eligibility remaining and can be of help beyond 2024-25.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
