OSU Basketball: Did the Transfer Portal Hurt the Cowboys This Offseason?
Oklahoma State’s offseason has been busy, and it might have left the Cowboys in a worse position for next season.
After a 12-20 season in 2023-24, OSU fired Mike Boynton and hired Western Kentucky’s Steve Lutz. In the three months since OSU decided to make a coaching change, its roster has changed dramatically.
In ESPN’s assessment of winners and losers of the transfer portal, Jeff Borzello listed the Cowboys as a team hurt by the transfer portal. Although the program is entering a new era and has plenty of things to look forward to over the next few seasons, it is easy to see how the Cowboys came out on the wrong end of the portal this offseason.
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Following Boynton’s firing, the Cowboys had a mass exodus, losing four regular starters from last season. Leading scorer Javon Small’s departure could sting the Cowboys beyond the offseason, as they could face him in Big 12 play next season when they play West Virginia. Meanwhile, Quion Williams, the Cowboys’ glue guy, opted to go to a smaller school at Abilene Christian.
Perhaps OSU’s most significant losses came from the departure of a star freshman frontcourt. Brandon Garrison left for Kentucky and Eric Dailey Jr. signed with UCLA. Those two were considered the future of the program going into last season and showed flashes of their potential throughout the Cowboys’ tough season.
Despite the losses in the portal, Lutz has been hot on the recruiting trail to rebuild the roster. Seven transfers have committed to the Cowboys for next season, including SEC All-Defense selection Davonte Davis and NCAA steals leader Arturo Dean.
OSU will look much different next season and will need a number of incoming transfers to make immediate impacts. Still, the Cowboys looking much different from the 12-20 squad last season is not necessarily a bad thing, and Lutz’s group could be a surprise team in the Big 12 next year.
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IVAN WHITE
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.