Oklahoma State’s trip to Puerto Rico is about more than just the games on the schedule. For Steve Lutz, the real payoff starts before the Cowboys ever tip off.
The OSU coach made that clear Tuesday, when he met with the media ahead of one of the 10 practices the Cowboys are allowed before heading out. Lutz didn’t spend much time selling the games themselves. He went straight to the work.
“I've told you guys a million times, I like practice,” Lutz said. “The games are for the players. That's their time to employ what we worked on in practice and their time to shine a little bit.
“But I like the practice and the teaching and the competition behind closed doors, where people aren't watching. Because that's when you truly learn about your team and learn about your players.
“So the 10 practices are invaluable.”
That preparation matters because the Cowboys will face pro teams in Puerto Rico beginning this weekend, and Lutz said OSU paid extra to make sure the matchups would be worth it. Instead of taking on makeshift groups of local pros, the Cowboys will play teams that were recently knocked out of the league’s postseason.
“A team lost last week in the playoffs, and basically what we do is we pay more money to get those guys to stick around,” Lutz said. “Like a lot of times, you'll go over there and you'll just play whoever is in the country that is a professional, and they'll just kind of throw them all together.
“We'll have an actual team and the coach will coach that team.”
What has stood out in the gym so far, according to Lutz, is how naturally this group understands the game. He said some of the teaching points that used to take more time with previous teams have come easier with this roster.
“We've got a better sense of the game of basketball,” he said. “Things that maybe you had to coach and teach in previous years, this group picks up on very well.
There's certain things you don't even have to teach. They just understand, hey, here's the play to be made.
Let's go make the play.
“So the basketball feel is a lot better.”
The Cowboys’ games are expected to be available on a pay-per-view streaming service, though those details have not been publicized yet.
For the freshmen, the biggest adjustment has been surviving Lutz’s practices. Oklahoma State has four first-year players in the mix: guards Anthony Felesi, Parker Robinson and Jalen Montonati, plus forward Latrell Allmond. Lutz said the learning curve has been obvious.
“They're all beat up a little bit right now,” Lutz said with a laugh. “They're freshmen.
It doesn't matter if you were the 500th-ranked player or you were a McDonald's All-American, it's hard. It's hard when your coach is not telling you that everything you're doing is correct.
It's hard when you come across the lane and somebody lays you out, and you've never been hit before like that.
“So they're all beat up. They're spending a lot of time at the training table, but they're all wonderful human beings. They're gonna be good basketball players.”
Kanye Clary, entering his fifth season of college basketball and his second at Oklahoma State, is taking on a bigger voice with so much new around him. He downplayed any idea that he should be viewed as the face of the team, but he also made it clear he likes what he sees.
“I ain't really one to try and take the spotlight,” Clary said. “If that's what y'all wanna say, I guess. But I think the team as a whole, I haven't been on many teams that I've been this excited about.
“Just seeing what we got coming in and the guys returning, I'm really excited to get back out there.”
Clary is one of four players back from last season, along with sophomores-to-be Benjamin Ahmed, Ryan Crotty and Mekhi Ragland. Lutz also brought in four freshmen and six transfers, giving Clary plenty of new teammates to help bring along.
“We got a lot of younger guys,” Clary said. “They're real eager to learn and get better and be around the game each day.
“Coach be getting frustrated when they're not doing things at the rate he may want, so me, knowing how he likes his practices and his stuff ran, I try to help him when I see them frustrating him.”
Ahmed, meanwhile, has spent the offseason reshaping his body after earning more meaningful minutes late last season. The 6-foot-10 big man said he is down only slightly in weight, listing himself at 271 pounds after being listed at 275 last year, but said the difference is in how he’s carrying it.
“I'm getting my body right, getting in better shape,” he said. “That's the biggest deal for me right now, to be in better shape to play more.”
Lutz said Ahmed’s progress has been noticeable.
“Ben has continued to trend forward,” Lutz said. “I like where Ben is.
I like the fact that he continues to get in better shape. He spends a lot of time in the gym and his skill level has increased.
His touch around the rim is getting better. He's catching better and all those sorts of things.”
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