Oklahoma State Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Cowboys
By Chris Kern
Starters
Michael Weathers would undoubtedly be a starter on this team if he were eligible. The Cowboys are preparing for the season with the guys they have and that’s how I’ll go about predicting the starters.
Mike Cunningham
Mike Cunninghman is a graduate transfer from USC Upstate where he was a three-year starter. He averaged 12.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3 assists per game during his three seasons as a Spartan.
Going from the Atlantic Sun to the Big 12 is going to be a huge adjustment. A few big-name point guards left after last season and the conference will be looking for guys to step up and be that star.
Weathers was a guy who was expected to be a big-time player in the Big 12. With him out for who knows how long Cunninghman has a chance to get big minutes. He needs to get some confidence in non-conference play to be ready for the tough Big 12 schedule that lies ahead.
Thomas Dziagwa
Thomas Dziagwa was a role player his first two seasons in Stillwater but with many key players departing he is going to be forced into a must bigger role. He averaged 4.2 points and 1 rebound during his first two years.
He also just played 8.7 minutes per game in the first two seasons. That’s not necessarily someone you’d expect to be a starter the following season. They don’t have much of a choice. With Weathers out for the foreseeable future expect Dziagwa in the starting lineup.
Lindy Waters
Lindy Waters started 31 games last season but he still didn’t have a huge role on this team. He averaged 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game last season.
He did attempt 3.8 three-pointers per game but he is gonna need to do much more this season. I would be surprised if that number doesn’t at least get up to five three-pointers attempted per game.
The Cowboys lost their offensive guys from last season, guys like Waters who were on the team last season are gonna have to lead the way.
Cameron McGriff
Cameron McGriff is a guy who took a step forward last season after struggling some offensively his freshmen year. He averaged 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season.
He is gonna need to take another step this upcoming season as well. His ability to stretch the floor a little bit is key for him, especially in the Big 12 conference. With the lack of reliable size on this team, he is gonna need to do an even better job rebounding.
He is one of the most underrated guys in the conference. Look for McGriff to be a candidate to earn a spot on All-Big 12 Third team.
Yor Anei
The Oklahoma State Cowboys have no returning centers. They are gonna have to rely on their young bigs to play big minutes.
Yor Anei has the potential to be a really good player. He is gonna need to play well in the non-conference because the bigs in the Big 12 are gonna be very tough for him to match up against.
Kentrevious Jones also has a shot to start here but the coaching staff has been praising Anei in practice thus far and I think he earns the final starting spot.