OSU Basketball: Cowboys' Leading Scorer Javon Small to Enter Transfer Portal
Oklahoma State’s leading scorer is looking for a new home.
Following the Cowboys’ firing of head coach Mike Boynton, guard Javon Small is entering the transfer portal. Small announced his decision on Monday.
Although changes were expected after a coaching change, the loss of Small is still a crushing blow. Small was expected to be a contributor for OSU for multiple years after his transfer from East Carolina before the 2023-24 seasons.
Small only spent one season at OSU, but it was incredibly productive. As the team’s leading scorer, he averaged 15.1 points and was the engine of OSU’s offense.
Small was vital for the Cowboys in the absence of Bryce Thompson, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in late January. Without another clear scoring option, Small took advantage. In the final 11 games without Thompson, Small scored 17.8 points per game while taking 5.4 free throws.
In his final regular season game as a Cowboy, he scored a career-high 34 points and tried to help OSU mount a second-half comeback against BYU. Small finished the season with six 20-point games, including three in Big 12 play.
His last 20-point performance came in OSU’s Big 12 Tournament loss to UCF, when he posted 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting. However, his big scoring outbursts might have influenced his decision to enter the portal.
In the six games Small scored at least 20, the Cowboys were winless. In being the engine of the team’s offense, Small would often drag the Cowboys into a position to win but could not get them over the hump.
OSU finished 12-19 in Small’s 31 games, including a 4-14 mark in Big 12 play. Although OSU could not find success on the scoreboard in his lone season in Stillwater, Small provided excitement in a season where that was hard to come by.
To follow up on the reports, Small posted on X (formerly Twitter), that he is not "officially" in the portal.
Still, Small leaving could be a huge blow, as having good guard play is key in a very, very tough Big 12 conference.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.