While Oklahoma State has settled for NIT appearances in each of Steve Lutz’s first two seasons as head coach, he’s confident that the Cowboys are close to a turnaround. After all, the Cowboys won 20 games last season despite tying for 13th in a very strong Big 12 race. Lutz doesn’t have a ton of head coaching experience but his past work with other programs and the trajectory in Stillwater should have some people excited for what could come with Oklahoma State.
What’s initially unfortunate is that a lot of talent is gone from that 20-win team. Leading scorers Anthony Roy and Parsa Fallah are both out of eligibility after excellent work, while Christian Coleman and Isaiah Coleman are among a list of other departures. The one notable returning player in Stillwater is Kanye Clary, the 5-11 point guard who was a double-digit scorer and has one last season of eligibility left.
The good news is that reinforcements are coming in many forms. Oklahoma State nabbed a pair of Top 40 recruits in shooting guard Anthony Felesi and power forward Latrell Allmond, with both of them expected to figure into the rotation this season. A six-pack of names from the transfer portal includes plenty of intrigue, like 7-footer Julius Halaifonua from Georgetown or Kashie Natt, a 6-3 guard who’s an excellent defender and rebounder.
Big guy from Alabama heading to Stillwater
We could have easily focused on either of those two additions, but Jordan Burks slightly edges them out this time. A 6-9 forward from Decatur, Alabama, Burks did great work at three different high schools and now begins time at his fourth college. He was a backup piece at Kentucky as a freshman before becoming a more viable piece at Georgetown as a sophomore. Last year saw things start to click at UCF, with Burks averaging 13.3 points and 4.8 rebounds as a full-time starter.
The Cowboys are shedding some enormous scoring talent and Burks is likely the best raw scorer joining from the transfer portal. He’s always had the potential but last season really allowed him to get that opportunity. He made 37% of his 3-pointers and was solid on multiple levels. He’ll likely jump right into an important role in Oklahoma State’s frontcourt and Lutz and crew certainly hope he can put up similar figures as a senior.
Yes, there are several important pieces in this transfer class and we could’ve easily focused on what Halaifonua means at center or the versatility that Natt brings in general. The truth is that all three need to show up in a major way if Oklahoma State wants to make the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in ten years. The Cowboys are really hoping that landing spot number four is where everything truly comes together for Burks as a veteran presence and scoring fiend for this team.
Add us as a preferred source on Google