The Oklahoma State basketball program had a treacherous 2023-24 season. The Cowboys finished second-to-last in the Big 12 standings and missed March Madness. Now, the program has a new leader in former Western Kentucky coach Steve Lutz.
Oklahoma State hired Lutz as the team's new Head Coach on Monday following the departure of Mike Boynton, per Fox College Hoops' John Fanta. Lutz is a former assistant coach to Purdue's Matt Painter and Creighton's Greg McDermott and brings a wealth of experience and success to OSU.
Steve Lutz landed his first college basketball head coaching gig with Texas A&M Corpus-Christi in 2021-22 and immediately led them to the NCAA Tournament. He helped the Islanders to a 16th-seeded March Madness berth, where they fell 76-67 against Texas Southern in the First Four round.
Then, Lutz led the program to another No. 16 seed Tournament showing in 2022-23. They faced the mighty No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide in the Round of the 64 and lost 96-75. Shortly after, Lutz landed an opportunity with the Western Kentucky basketball squad, where he continued his stellar coaching run.
The Hilltoppers finished the 2023-2024 season with a record of 22-12 and earned the No. 15 seed in the South Region of 2024's March Madness tournament. Unfortunately, Western Kentucky fell 87-69 to a fiery Marquette squad. Nevertheless, Lutz completed a highly respectable feat in the process. 2024 marked the third consecutive season he has led a team to the NCAA Tournament.
He looks to continue the trend with the Oklahoma State basketball squad.
Oklahoma State basketball enters a new era
Steve Lutz will do all he can to help the Cowboys get back toward the top of the Big 12. The team did not perform the way it intended with former Head Coach Mike Boynton.
OSU promoted Boynton after he spent time as an assistant coach for the program. He helped the team attain moderate success, which propelled him towards signing a seven-year contract extension following the 2020-21 campaign.
During his time in Stillwater, Boynton took Oklahoma State to the NCAA Tournament once and helped the basketball squad to four above-.500 seasons. The team amassed a 119-109 record under his leadership but went a disappointing 51-75 against Big 12 opponents. Thus, the program parted ways with him.
Athletic Director Chad Weiberg expressed gratitude for Boynton's services and gave more insight into the program's move on him in a press statement.
“For seven years, Coach Boynton has led this program and represented this university with class. We're grateful for the genuine passion and care he has for the student-athletes on our team. Unfortunately, the desired results have not been followed. Therefore, it's time to part ways and begin a new chapter. We wish Coach Boynton and his family the very best,” Weinberg said.
Boynton was a steady force in Stillwater, but Steve Lutz looks to help take the program to the next level.
How will Steve Lutz mesh with Oklahoma State's personnel?
The Cowboys look to return some key contributors from the 2024-25 season. Moreover, the program ranks 91st in the nation for its Class of 2024 recruiting efforts, a three-point increase from its previous ranking, per 247 Sports.
Steve Lutz will be on a mission to mesh the team's talent in hopes of an improved showing in 2024-25 and beyond. Things have not gone perfectly for Oklahoma State, but their new hiring proves there is plenty of reason to be excited for the future of the basketball program.
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