STILLWATER - Oklahoma State enters Steve Lutz’s third season with a roster that looks a lot different - and a lot more dangerous on paper - than the one that finished last year.
The Cowboys landed the nation’s No. 12 transfer portal recruiting class and the No. 8 high school recruiting class in the offseason, giving Lutz a deep mix of veterans, high-end newcomers and a few familiar faces. With the NCAA Tournament expanding from 68 to 76 teams, the bar in Stillwater is clear: get back to March for the first time since 2021.
That’s a bigger ask after what happened last season on defense. Oklahoma State gave up 83.2 points per game, a number that ranked No. 350 out of 351 Division I teams. Even so, the Cowboys finished 20-15, reached the NIT and lost in the second round.
Here’s a closer look at the pieces Lutz has assembled:
Kanye Clary gives OSU a steady hand at point guard after a strong first season in Stillwater. He posted a 2.31 assist-to-turnover ratio and became the 11th Cowboy to dish out at least 150 assists in a season. Clary also earned a Bachelor of University Studies from OSU in May.
The roster also features a pair of experienced bigs who should matter once they’re ready. Parsa Fallah, a fifth-year center, tore his ACL last February, then got an injunction this fall and is eligible to play this season.
He won’t be available right away, but when he returns he brings the kind of interior presence OSU needs. Last season, Fallah started all 26 games and led the team with six rebounds per game.
Benjamin Ahmed is another option inside. The sophomore forward missed the first 10 games last season because of a foot injury, then started seven games after returning in December. All four of his double-digit scoring games came in March, and he gives the Cowboys a physical left-handed post threat.
Oklahoma State also added size and scoring through the portal. Luka Bogavac, a senior guard from Mojkovac, Montenegro, started 21 games for North Carolina last season and averaged 9.8 points.
He also led the Tar Heels with 52 made 3-pointers at a 34.9% clip. During OSU’s Puerto Rico exhibition tour, he led the Cowboys with 3.7 assists per game.
Jordan Burks comes in as a senior forward on his fourth school after helping UCF snap a five-year NCAA Tournament drought. He started all 33 games for the Knights, averaged 13.3 points and 4.8 rebounds, and shot 37.3% from beyond the arc. Burks also hit go-ahead 3s in the final minute against Kansas, Arizona State and Utah.
Andrija Grbovic adds another long frontcourt option. The senior forward from Montenegro turned 23 in September, averaged 11.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in three exhibition games in Puerto Rico, and started 27 games for Arizona State last season.
Julius Halaifonua gives OSU its only 7-footer. The junior center transferred from Georgetown, where he played in 38 games over two seasons, and arrived as a four-star transfer portal recruit. He turned 20 in May.
The freshman class brings more firepower. Latrell Allmond arrives as the 11th McDonald’s All-American in Cowboy basketball history.
The 6-8 forward was the No. 31 high school recruit in his class, won four state titles in Virginia and averaged 22.7 points per game in high school. He can score at all three levels.
Jalen Montonati comes in with a family connection and a serious resume of his own. The 6-7 guard is the son of former OSU forward Brian Montonati and scored 2,000 points at Owasso High School while earning two state player of the year honors. He chose Oklahoma State over offers from Arkansas, Kansas, Michigan, Alabama and others.
Parker Robinson, a four-star guard from New Market, Maryland, signed with OSU over offers from West Virginia, Illinois, Clemson and Cal among others. He averaged 11 points on the Puerto Rico trip and made five of 11 3-pointers.
Anthony Felesi, a 6-5 freshman guard from Laie, Hawaii, is billed as the most athletic player on the roster. He played at Utah Prep Academy and was a consensus four-star recruit. He also led Oklahoma State in rebounding in Puerto Rico.
There’s more help from the returning group. Ryan Crotty, one of three returners from last season’s freshman class, played in 28 games and started 10, averaging 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds. He shot 16 of 54 from 3-point range as a freshman, after being known as a strong shooter in high school.
Mekhi Ragland, a sophomore forward, appeared in 14 games as a true freshman and played in six of the final seven. He spent the summer working on losing weight and changing his body, then averaged 9.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in Puerto Rico.
Jacob Walker also arrives from Sam Houston with some hardware. The sophomore guard was the Conference USA Sixth-Man of the Year last season and averaged 12 points and three assists in three games in Puerto Rico. He and Ragland were high school teammates at Sunrise Christian Academy.
Kashie Natt, a fifth-year guard, brought a defensive edge from Sam Houston, where he was the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. He led the league in steals, double-doubles and defensive rebounds.
In July, Natt received clearance from a Payne County court to resume basketball activities with OSU. He filed a lawsuit against the NCAA seeking a sixth season of eligibility because he started his career at JUCO Southern University-Shreveport, after three seasons at LSU-Alexandria before Sam Houston.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Scored 49 And Still Left Fans With One Big Fear
For most of Saturday, Oklahoma State had enough offense to feel like it could survive almost anything. Drew Mestemaker threw for 323 yards and five touchdowns, Caleb Hawkins piled up 275 yards of total offense and scored three times, and the Cowboys kept answering every Iowa State push in a wild Big 12 shootout that had the feel of a game decided by whichever side had the ball last.
But even with all that production, the ending left the Cowboys with the kind of concern that lingers after a loss like this. Iowa State kept finding answers of its own, with Aiden Flora rushing for 221 yards and two touchdowns and Jaylen Raynor accounting for four total touchdowns, and Oklahoma State never quite got the final stop it needed when the game tightened late. The result was a 51-49 defeat that showed just how explosive the Cowboys can be, while also reminding them how thin the margin is when a shootout turns into a finish-line scramble. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Lutz Has A Real Oklahoma State Lineup Decision Before The Opener
Steve Lutz came to Stillwater with the mandate to lift Oklahoma State back into the NCAA Tournament picture, and the first real test of how quickly that rebuild can take shape arrives with the season opener against Incarnate Word. After three exhibition games, the Cowboys have at least given their new coach something useful to sort through: a few players have flashed enough to make the early rotation picture feel less settled than it might have seemed a month ago.
Among the names making noise are freshman Felisi, Jacob Walker and Kashie Natt, all of whom turned in encouraging stretches during exhibition play. The challenge for Lutz now is less about finding talent than deciding how to arrange it, because the opener is close enough that the lineup choices start to matter in a hurry, and the best answer may not be the most obvious one. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Lutz Just Added Tension To Oklahoma States Opener
Oklahoma States season opener against Incarnate Word already had the usual early-year uncertainty, and Steve Lutz added a little more of it while updating the status of his roster. The Cowboys are still sorting through availability as they get ready to tip off, with Lutz offering a broader look at where the team stands physically and how preparation has gone heading into the first game.
The most immediate question is at point guard, where Clary is dealing with a groin injury but appears to be moving in the right direction. Lutz also pointed to the longer-term recovery picture elsewhere on the roster, including Fallahs rehab from a torn ACL, as Oklahoma State tries to balance caution with the need to get off to a clean start. [Read more 🡒]