Callin Hake’s path to Oklahoma State came together fast, but the backstory stretches back years. The former Nebraska guard got a fifth year of college basketball after a temporary restraining order in California in August, then entered the transfer portal and started looking for a new home. Nebraska was off the table, and with most rosters already filled and scholarships scarce, the options were limited.
Oklahoma State turned out to be the fit. In a portal landscape that can feel like speed dating, Hake’s move was the equivalent of a blind date that worked.
Cowgirls coach Jacie Hoyt said last week that she had no previous relationship with Hake. She didn’t recruit her out of high school, unlike transfer Ellie Brueggemann, whom Hoyt knew from her time at Kansas City. So when it came time to sort through Hake’s fit, Hoyt leaned on an old connection: Nebraska coach Amy Williams.
Williams has been at Nebraska since 2016, but Oklahoma State fans know her from her earlier stop in Stillwater, where she spent four seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 2001-02 to 2004-05. She also tried to recruit Hoyt when Hoyt was at Hoxie (Kan.) High School before she eventually went to Wichita State.
“I had that relationship with her to talk to her about Callin and ask some of the hard questions when Callin was in the portal,” Hoyt said. “Amy was great about it.”
Williams also had the best perspective on Hake. She played four seasons for the Cornhuskers, where Hake averaged 6.0 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. She was part of three NCAA Tournament teams and is coming off her strongest statistical season after putting up 7.2 points per game last year.
For Hoyt, the biggest question wasn’t talent. It was chemistry.
Oklahoma State completely remade its roster from last season, with Stailee Heard the only holdover. Hoyt and her staff also brought in what she called the best transfer class in the country, led by center Audi Crooks and guard Liv McGill, and the summer has been about turning that group into a real team.
The wrong addition could have disrupted all of it.
Instead, Hake made a quick impression.
“Some days I'm watching in practice, and I'm just like, ‘Thank goodness we have her,’” Hoyt said. “She is just she's been such a light and such an amazing addition on the floor, off the floor… Maybe I didn't know how much we needed her until we got her here.”
Hake is expected to work as a backup guard for the Cowgirls, with the ability to handle the point or slide to the off-guard spot while adding scoring and defense. Her TRO situation still matters, too, because her case has not been settled and her eligibility could change. For now, though, she’s at Oklahoma State - brought in quickly, and with help from a relationship that goes back 20 years.
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Oklahoma State Just Added A Familiar Name With Something To Prove
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The move comes as Presley and several other athletes continue to challenge the NCAAs new age-based eligibility rule in court, and that legal fight has kept his status in motion. For now, though, his return still appears to be in limbo on the school side, since he has not yet been formally announced by Oklahoma State and was not on the teams electronic roster Sunday evening. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Gets A Real Week 6 Test Coming Out Of Bye
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UCF arrives with some uncertainty under center and a road profile that has not been encouraging so far this season, which only adds to the sense that this is a real test for both sides. For Oklahoma State, the game offers a chance to measure whether its recent turnaround has some staying power as the Big 12 schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Heads To Oklahoma State With One Huge Availability Question
UCFs trip to Stillwater comes with more uncertainty than usual, and Scott Frost spent part of the week sorting through the injury ripple effects before the Knights face Oklahoma State. The list already includes several key players, and Frost has tried to stress the next-man-up approach as UCF leans on its depth and waits to see who can make it back in the near future.
One of the bigger questions hanging over the matchup is the offensive line, where center Jacob Maiava is dealing with a lower-body injury and remains questionable. The Knights also appear set to be short on offense and in the middle of the defense, with the availability of quarterback Alonza Barnett III and linebacker Lewis Carter shaping up as a major storyline as kickoff approaches. [Read more 🡒]