NCAA Steals Leader Arturo Dean Commits to Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State has its first commitment of the Steve Lutz era.
After visiting Stillwater, Florida International transfer Arturo Dean announced his commitment to OSU on Wednesday. Dean has the potential to be one of the first starting guards under Lutz at OSU.
Dean played his first two seasons at FIU, emerging as a skilled defender in Conference USA. Last season, Dean played 31 games, starting 30, and shined for FIU.
As a sophomore, he averaged 13.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and four assists. Dean also improved dramatically as a 3-point shooter, going from 20% as a freshman to 30.2% last season.
Although his shooting is still a work in progress, Dean has been great at forcing turnovers. Last season, Dean averaged 3.4 steals per game to lead the NCAA in that category.
Dean’s ability to create live-ball turnovers could make him a perfect fit for Lutz’s system. Lutz is known for having one of the fastest-paced offensive attacks in the country, and having someone who can manufacture transition opportunities is perfect. FIU ranked 32nd in pace last season, so Dean has experience in a similar system.
Of course, with Dean averaging 13.4 points, he had some high-scoring outbursts. He scored 20 points or more four times last season, including a career-high 27 points against Long Island.
Last season, Dean also made his second straight Conference USA All-Defense team and made the All-Conference USA third team.
Although Dean is skilled at forcing turnovers, he also has struggles handling the ball. With 114 turnovers last season, Dean led Conference USA and finished seventh in the country.
Despite some of his struggles, Dean’s defense and experience playing in an up-tempo system could give him the opportunity to shine with the Cowboys.
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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.